Onion roll facts for kids
Onion rolls made with the recipe found in "The World-Famous Ratner's Meatless Cookbook".
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| Alternative names | Jewish onion rolls, Ratner's onion rolls, Miami onion rolls |
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| Type | Bread |
| Place of origin | United States, also Israel |
| Region or state | New York, New York |
| Created by | Ashkenazi Jewish people |
| Main ingredients | Flour, eggs, water, oil, sugar, dried onion, poppy seeds |
Onion rolls are a type of bread roll. They are soft and a little sweet. They have dried onions mixed into the dough. This gives them their special flavor. Often, more dried onions are sprinkled on top. Sometimes, poppy seeds are added too. These rolls are very popular in Jewish communities. They first came from Ashkenazi Jewish people.
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What Are Onion Rolls?
Onion rolls are small, tasty bread rolls. They first came from Jewish communities. This was in Eastern Europe many hundreds of years ago. The rolls are made with flour, water, eggs, oil, salt, yeast, and sugar. They also have dried onions and often poppy seeds.
Today, people in the Jewish community often use them for sandwiches. They are also served as a dinner roll. You can find them in Jewish delis and bakeries. These places are all over North America and Israel.
The Story of Onion Rolls
How Onion Rolls Began
Onion rolls started with the Ashkenazi Jewish people. This was in Eastern Europe many centuries ago. Jewish people came to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They brought their traditional foods with them. Many settled in New York City. This city became a big center for Jewish culture. That is where the onion roll became very well known.
Ratner's Famous Onion Rolls (1908–2002)
Onion rolls were sold in Jewish bakeries and restaurants. You could find them in delis and markets. This was true across the United States. They were also popular in other places with many Jewish people.
A famous kosher restaurant called Ratner's opened in New York City in 1908. It was in the Lower East Side neighborhood. Soon after opening, Ratner's started serving its famous onion rolls. These rolls became very popular. People from the Jewish community loved them. Other New Yorkers loved them too.
Ratner's opened more locations over time. But all of them closed in 2002. When the restaurant was most popular, they baked and served many rolls. They made up to 3,000 onion rolls every day.
Onion Rolls Today (2002–Present)
After Ratner's closed in 2002, it became hard to find good onion rolls. Stanley Ginsburg is a Jewish American cookbook author. He said it was "almost impossible to find a decent onion roll." This led him to help write a cookbook. It was called ”Inside the Jewish Bakery”. This book shared his recipe for onion rolls. It also had recipes for other classic Jewish breads.
Other Jewish baking cookbooks have also featured onion rolls. The family who owned Ratner's later published a cookbook. It included the recipe for their original onion rolls.
Today, you can often find onion rolls in supermarkets. They are common in the Northeastern United States. You can also find them in the Los Angeles and Miami areas. This is because many Jewish people live there. Different brands sell onion rolls. Some of these are Kasanoff’s, Miami Onion Roll Company, Ratner’s, and Zomick’s.
You can still find onion rolls in Jewish bakeries. They are also in dairy restaurants in the United States. And they are popular in Israel too.
How People Enjoy Onion Rolls
Onion rolls are often served at kosher dairy restaurants. They come as part of the bread basket. This basket is given to every table. People often eat them with butter. They are also great for making sandwiches. Some people use them instead of a plain hamburger bun. Of course, many people just like to eat onion rolls plain.
Onion Rolls in Pop Culture
Onion rolls are a popular bread in Jewish culture. This is especially true for American Jewish culture in New York City. You can find them in Jewish bakeries and delis. They are also in kosher markets and restaurants. Onion rolls have even been shown in movies.
The most famous food at the now-closed Ratner's restaurant was its onion rolls. Ratner's was in New York's Lower East Side. It was a kosher restaurant that only served foods made with dairy. Ratner's was a very famous Jewish restaurant for many years. Its onion rolls were loved by its customers. Some people still remember them today. They even try to make them at home.
The restaurant's cookbook said the onion rolls were the "undisputed champion." They were on every table with every meal. More than 1,500 onion rolls were baked daily. On Sundays, they baked 3,000 rolls.
Onion rolls were in the 2000 movie, Boiler Room. In the movie, the main character Seth has a meal with his family. A scene shows the front of Ratner's restaurant. The next scene shows Ratner's famous onion rolls on the family's table.
