It’s A-Glaze-ing: National Doughnut Day!
A ‘Hole’ Lotta History
If you’re not up on your doughnut culture these days, National Doughnut Day is today, June 4th. Always celebrated on the first Friday in June, it’s day of appreciation for Salvation Army volunteers who distributed donuts to servicemen during World War I. It began in 1938 as a fundraiser for Chicago’s Salvation Army and aimed to both support the needy and honour the Salvation Army volunteers who donated their time during World War I handing out doughnuts to soldiers. Huts were built overseas in 1917 by the Salvation Army, and many female volunteers were deployed to mother the soldiers. During this time, women began to make doughnuts for the servicemen and came to be known as Doughnut Dollies.
Doughnut vs Donut
Neither is wrong to be perfectly honest but, the official Dictionary spelling of the word in question—if you’re into that sort of thing—is doughnut. The expedited, simplified, Americanized spelling of “donut” has been around since at least the late 19th century. It didn’t catch on, though, until late in the 20th century. It’s so ubiquitous that both terms are often used interchangeably in the English language
Are you #teamDoughnut or #teamDonut?
To Glaze or Not To Glaze…
So, what is a doughnut? Well, they are fried, circular pieces of dough usually topped with sugar syrups, chocolate, nuts, and other flavorings. That’s the simple answer however because they are so much more. Delicious. Sweet. Savory. Sugary. Sticky. Powdered. Tempting. And those are just some of the words I could think of. There are so many variations and flavour combinations it’s impossible to encapsulate them into just a few words. Some of the other regional names for the doughnut are koeksister (Africa), gulgula (India), donat kentang (Indonesia), sufganiyah (Isreal), krapfen (Austria), munkki (Finland), pączki (Poland), donas (Mexicao), sonhos (Brazil), and picarones (Peru). That’s just a simple overview though—each culture seems to have its own version widely adored across the culinary landscape.
Doughnut Stop Me Now!
What is your favourite doughnut? Mine is the traditional Hawaiian doughnut. This is not the typical vanilla dip you’d find now at the local Timmies made with coloured nonpareils (the round sprinkles). It’s the doughnut of my youth—a yeast doughnut, topped a soft white frosting, and dipped in jimmies (the proper, hot dog shaped sprinkles). Not sure why they named it the Hawaiian to be perfectly honest but I want to believe it’s to pay homage to the beautiful colours prominent on the island.
Until the next time,
Julie
