Just for Fun: A Brief History of Donuts

It’s here, it’s here! National Donut Day! Yum! Whether we’re talking beignets, crullers, churros, jelly, or anything between- donuts are definitely a treat to behold! Fun fact: did you know that Dunkin’ Donuts sells close to 3 million donuts and donut holes every year? How crazy is that?

In honor of their special day, I thought it might be fun to delve into the origins of the tasty morsel! DO-nut worry, I promise it’ll be brief!

Historically, donuts can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who used to eat a form of donut that was the epitome of “dough” “nut”…they were little walnut-sized cake balls that were fried and coated with honey. Italian families continue to indulge in a form of these desserts called struffoli. These struffoli are traditionally presented as a mound of honey-coated dough balls coated with sprinkles. Flash forward to the mid-1600s, the Dutch concocted the recipe for the olykoek, or “oily cake”. These were fried dough pouches filled with a combination of spices, apples, chopped nuts, and raisins called “sweetmeats”. This recipe would evolve over time to include ingredients to make them fluffier such as eggs and butter.

Donuts first made their appearance in the United States somewhere in pre-historic times in early Native American settlements in the Southwest. Archaeologists can’t determine quite how they prepared them, but they have discovered petrified fried-cakes with the stereotypical hole missing from the center. Another flash forward and a journey overseas, during World War II homesick American servicemen were hand-delivered donuts and coffee by the “Donut Dollies”— women who volunteered in the American Red Cross. Not only did they deliver these treats, but also a connection to home.

So all these donuts mentioned so far have been yeast donuts…but what about cake donuts. Cake donuts are truly an American invention. When leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda became commercially available, bakers in New England began to use them in the place of yeast to make donuts; this move would save them time in the dough-rise process.

And there you have it, a brief history of the donut. Hope you enjoyed. I also hope that you’ll get the chance to indulge in a scrumptious donut today!

For more on the history of donuts, check out these websites:

https://greatist.com/eat/where-did-donuts-originate#Doughnut-Mania

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-the-doughnut-150405177/