Origins. While food resembling doughnuts has been found at many ancient sites, the earliest origins to the modern doughnuts are generally traced back to the olykoek (“oil(y) cake”) Dutch settlers brought with them to early New York (or New Amsterdam).
Dutch settlers brought olykoek ("oil(y) cake") to New York (or New Amsterdam) in the early 18th century. These doughnuts closely resembled later ones but did not yet have their current ring shape.
It is true that the humble doughnut does have a convoluted past that involves Dutch immigrants, Russian exiles, French bakers, Irving Berlin, Clark Gable and a certain number of Native Americans. And, yes, in its democratic ethos, its optimism, and its assorted origins, it does seem rather quintessentially American.
Canada is the most doughnut-obsessed country in North America — and the world. Canadians consume more doughnuts per capita and have more doughnut shops per capita than any other country.
Chinese Donut Origin and Curiosities
The most common theory is that it was introduced to China by Persian or Arab traders who brought with them a similar fried pastry called a Samsa. Another theory suggests that the Chinese donut was actually invented by a Chinese chef who was trying to recreate the Samsa.
Since the early 20th century, doughnuts have been a popular treat in the United States. More than 10 billion doughnuts are consumed annually in the US, due in part to the large-scale expansion of corporations like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts.
Traditional Chinese Donuts are called Youtiao. They are different than the ones you see at the Chinese buffet and are more of a cruller or churro type as you can see here.
Per capita, Canadians eat the most doughnuts compared to all world countries. The large number of Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada (over 4,600) significantly contributes to this consumption rate.
Although in pop culture, like in The Simpsons, the donut is often seen as portrayals of the American life, there are more doughnut shops in Canada per capita than any other country.
According to Google users, glazed donuts reign supreme as the most popular donut.
Filled donuts like jelly donuts are just as popular as ring-shaped donuts, especially in parts of Europe. They're made by injecting fruit preserves, vanilla custard, cream, and other ingredients into hole-less spheres of fried dough.
The story of the origin of the doughnut begins in ancient Rome and Greece, the first sources about the dough cooked in fat and honey, originate from here. In the Middle Ages, small dough balls were baked in Arabia and dipped in sugar syrup for sweetening.
“Doughnuts are deep-fried cakes with a long European history and roots in still earlier Middle Eastern cuisine. They were introduced to America by the Dutch in New Netherlands to America as oliekoecken (oil cakes or fried cakes).
To fully cook the insides of the dough, the dough would have to stay in the oil for a longer time, which would lead to the outsides becoming burnt. Punching a hole in the middle of the dough, however, allows the insides and the outsides to cook evenly, creating a perfect donut.
Either way, there are two popular ways to cook them - fried or baked. All the recipes we have seen differ slightly but have the same characteristics. Fried doughnuts are yeast recipes that rise, are light in texture and medium brown. Baked doughnuts are smaller, baking powder driven and more compact.
In 2022, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the Lake James location set a Guinness World Record for the most freshly baked donuts sold in eight hours. When the day was over, Tom's Donuts sold 8,558 donuts.
As the story goes, a New England woman named Elizabeth Gregory fried some dough to send with her son for his voyage at sea during the 19th century. Elizabeth was the one who fried the dough with nuts, leading to the name 'donut,' but her son was the one who put a hole in the center, giving us the classic donut shape.
People in the US consume an average of 3,868 calories per day, the second-highest number of any country in the world. It is eclipsed only by Bahrain, in the Middle East, where people consumed more than 4,000 calories per day on average.
Japan's love for donuts has grown to new heights. With the introduction of donut shops like Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme. Although there has been a boom in these decadent coffee and treat shops. Mister Donut has maintained its position as one of the country's most beloved doughnut chains.
Pyshka or ponchik (Russian: пышка, pl. pyshki пышки; пончик, pl. ponchiki пончики) is a Russian variety of doughnut.
Mochi Donuts aka Pon de ring donuts. Delicious donuts with a chewy texture that are unlike your traditional donuts. This mochi donut recipe is easy to make at home with simple ingredients.
[...] Some folks suggest the name has less to do with the glutinous rice flour that we often associate with foods called mochi and more to do with the phrase mochi-mochi, which describes a uniquely soft but elastic or even bouncy texture".