The Mouthwatering History Of Donuts

Evidence suggests that as far back as 6,000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians were frying leavened dough in oil to make cake-like snacks that were eaten by Pharaohs and other wealthy folks (via The Byzantine Ambassador). Centuries later, Greek and Roman chefs added honey to these cakes, bringing the sweetness factor to a whole new level.

Ancient Greeks passed out these "honey tokens" to Olympic champions as part of their prizes. Romans commonly ate similar honey-sweetened "dulcia" at all of their festivals. In fact, the treats were so popular that Cato the Elder, one of humanity's first written historians, recorded a recipe for honey cakes in his work "De Agri Cultura." While these ancient pastries wouldn't have been exactly like the donuts we know today, many food historians argue that they certainly count as precursors.

In a deep dive into the history of donuts, the Smithsonian Magazine reports that Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans weren't the only ones eating donut-like pastries either. Archeologists have found fossilized bits of donut-adjacent foods in prehistoric Native American settlements. It seems that no matter where you look across the globe, people have been trying to master the perfect donut recipe for thousands of years.

Donuts finally arrived in North America in the early 17th century when Dutch settlers brought olykoeks to New Amsterdam (via University of Southern California). A Dutch cookbook called "The Sensible Cook" showcased a recipe for olykoeks made with typical donut ingredients — milk, eggs, yeast, flour — then rolled into balls and fried in pots of hot oil. 

The problem, home chefs quickly realized, was that the outside of the olykoeks would burn before the inside had cooked all the way through. To fix this, folks began filling the center with something that didn't need cooking to be consumed, like apples, nuts, or dried fruits. Many etymologists believe that it was the nuts used to fill the center of olykoeks that gave donuts their English name. 

Of course, other people dispute this and suggest the shape of the pastry (similar to a knot) led to the development of the word donut. Whatever the case may be, by the end of the Revolutionary War the word donut was widely used and the sweet treats began to be regarded as distinctly American. How do we know this? Washington Irving's "History of New York" from the early 1800s includes references the food and uses the term dough nut rather than olykoek for the first time (via Thrillist).

Up until this point, most of the development of donuts has been confined to the northern United States. That's not an error in reporting on our part; prior to WWI, donuts were more of a northern treat simply due to the fact that the immigrants who brought the recipes to America largely settled in the New England area. However, following WWI and the service of Donut Lassies, the sweet treats rose in popularity and were enjoyed across the country.

Smithsonian Magazine explains that Donut Lassies were a group of Salvation Army volunteers (primarily women) tasked with providing moral support for soldiers stationed in France. Their contributions included things like religious services and live music, as well as sweet treats to remind the men of home. Donuts quickly became their chief dessert offering as they were quick and easy to make. Additionally, they didn't require a lengthy list of ingredients or an oven which would have been hard to obtain in war-torn zones.

By the time they returned home, many veterans had acquired a taste for donuts and were anxious to get their hands on the nostalgic food. As a result, women all across the U.S. began making them at home and selling them in bakeries. Today, National Donut Day is observed in honor of the work the Donut Lassies did back in WWI.

The Wonderful Almost Human Automatic Donut Machine wasn't the only way Adolph Levitt revolutionized the donut industry. The NYC baker turned his invention and his small Harlem business into a national company called the Donut Corporation of America (via The New York Times).

The business had two functions. One arm of it manufactured Levitt's machines and put together pre-made donut mix that could be used by bakers unwilling or unable to make their own. The other arm of the company focused on spreading the gospel of the donut. It was this branch of the company that started the National Dunking Association.

The association's main goal was to encourage Americans to eat more donuts. First, it ran a very successful campaign called "Dunk It!", which encouraged folks to dunk the treats in their morning coffee, tea, or milk (via Ian Brabner, Rare Americana). Before this bit of marketing ran, donuts were typically eaten as a post-meal dessert rather than as a full meal. 

The National Dunking Association also ran farcical crusades like the "Donut vs. Cruller" episode, which attempted to make the FDA draw a distinction between donuts and other pastries (via The New York Times). The real objective here wasn't to establish a dictionary definition but to get folks to eat more donuts so they could decide for themselves.

As with many English words, it's unlikely that we'll ever be able to fully trace the origins or exact reference point of the development of the term donut. However, the transition of the spelling from doughnut to donut is much more readily agreed upon.

When Washington Irving first mentioned donuts back in 1809 he wrote it as a self-explanatory two-word phrase: dough nut. Etymology Online reports that by 1870 there were already recorded instances of its abbreviated spelling (donut), and folks were using the spellings interchangeably. Mental Floss comments that the spelling didn't achieve mainstream popularity until the 1950s when Dunkin' Donuts opened its first location.

So which spelling should you use? Opinion is split. Merriam-Webster correctly points out that donut is usually listed as an alternative spelling to doughnut. Nevertheless, both are an accepted part of the common vernacular, so you're free to use whichever strikes your fancy.

America's obsession with donuts has only grown since Dunkin' stepped onto the scene. According to USA Today, there are now an estimated 13,000 donut shops in the U.S. alone. Kind of wild when you recall that the country's first donut stand was opened just 350 years ago (via Thrillist). While that innovative Brooklyn stand established NYC as the donut capital of North America, that honor now lies with Boston, which has one donut shop for every 2,400 residents.

Of course, donuts have changed quite a bit since they were first developed. Gone are the days when simple cake or yeast donuts were your only options and berries and nuts were the only fillings. Now you can get donuts glazed and stuffed with everything from pink icing to jalapeños to edible flowers to bacon. 

Those unique flavors might keep the donut scene interesting, but they haven't yet captured the hearts of Americans as the classic flavors have. According to data compiled by Ipsos in 2021, cream-filled donuts are still the most popular flavor, followed by plain-glazed, chocolate-glazed, and old-fashioned donuts. So maybe some things haven't changed that much after all.