Glazed, powdered or cream filled doughnuts are hard to resist for daily breakfast fare. Though some of us don’t give in to temptation of this delicious sweet treat on a regular basis, why not give in on National Doughnut Day?
The history of a Doughnut Day began during World War I on the French battlefields when the Salvation Army workers served them with coffee to cheer the troops. The tradition was carried on by them after the war ended and during the Great Depression. The day was originally celebrated on the first Friday of June and now has a second celebration day as well on November 5. Finding out where doughnuts began brings us many theories and claims. One theory says they were invented by Dutch settlers in North America in the 19th century. A second claim is that the American Hansen Gregory created them in 1847 when aboard a ship during his travels. His mother, Elizabeth, was reported to have improved upon his creation using cinnamon, nuts or lemon rind in them as well as other ingredients. Yet another claim comes from England found in a recipe from 1803.
Doughnuts are popular in many other countries besides the United States. They were originally deep fried from flour dough and recognized by their circular shape with a hole. They can be seen with or without a hole now and can be filled with custards, creams or fruit fulling. They can be topped with sugar, chocolate or sprinkles. Although this scrumptious cake started by being homemade, it has spread from supermarkets and bakeries to food stalls and even gas stations offering foods.
Here in the United States we like our doughnuts in a variety of flavors. They can be covered simply in sugar as well as made of chocolate. Fancy toppings beyond sprinkles have made our desire for them even greater as we like to try new options. Maybe trying a new kind is just the thing for our upcoming National Doughnut Day!
Why not bring in a box of doughnuts to share with co-workers today? And nothing goes better with doughnuts than coffee!
