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).
Hanson Gregory, an American, claimed to have invented the ring-shaped doughnut in 1847 aboard a lime-trading ship when he was 16 years old.
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.
BeaverTail — Canada. 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.
Early on we learn that while doughnuts were present in Canadian kitchens, the concept of mass-produced donuts and donut shops actually came from the United States—the reason Penfold chooses the more American spelling of the term.
Hertfordshire can claim to be the birthplace of the doughnut... A recipe for “dow nuts” appears in The Recipe of Book of Barnoness Dimsdale c. 1800. Baroness Elizabeth Dimsdale lived in Hertford, to the east of St Albans, and the recipe in her handwritten book was thought to have been the earliest known recipe.
In Canada, the donut is often thought of as the unofficial national food. Donuts are sold at every intersection and rest stop, celebrated in song and story as symbols of Canadian identity, and one chain in particular, Tim Horton's, has become a veritable icon with over 2500 shops across the country.
Youtiao (traditional Chinese: 油條; simplified Chinese: 油条; pinyin: Yóutiáo), known in Southern China as Yu Char Kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines.
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.
Donuts are a beloved dessert all over the world and Korea is no exception.
For the love of doughnuts
Whether it be a cruller or apple fritter, Canadians eat the most doughnuts in the world. 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.
Since the early 20th century, doughnuts have been a popular treat in the United States.
There are some things you can't eat anywhere else… Donuts is not one of them. It's a food remarkably and consistently popular across the borders of countries and continents.
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.
“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).
Donut is an alternate spelling of doughnut. Some dictionaries point out that donut is rarely used outside the United States. All of them recognize doughnut as the main spelling, as do some of the more popular style guides. Doughnut might be the spelling you should use if you want to be sure you're not making a mistake.
According to Google users, glazed donuts reign supreme as the most popular donut.
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.
Canada. Canada is known for many great things – beautiful scenery, hockey, having the world's largest proportion of freshwater lakes – but one of its most delicious accolades is being hailed as the Doughnut Capital of the World.
Thai donuts, which are directly brought over from China, are small pieces of deep fried dough. They aren't normally too sweet and are either eaten directly or dipped in sang kaya coconut jam. Thai donuts are a popular Thai breakfast choice.
The exterior crunch is marvelous, and the inside is soft, tender, and fluffy like a cross between a biscuit and a doughnut. I will say that the inside isn't quite as light and fluffy like the buffet-style biscuits I remember, but it absolutely satisfies the craving nonetheless.
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.
They were originally called "oily cakes."
The early Americans took the fact that the treats were fried in oil quite literally, naming them olykoeks, translating to "oily cakes." The word 'donut' came soon after when a woman is said to have put nuts in the dough before frying it.
Dunkin' Donuts is the largest donut chain, with 11,000 stores in 33 countries. Originally named Kettle Donuts, it opened in 1948 and by 1950 adopted the name Dunkin' Donuts as it was sold as franchises.
This statistic shows the consumption of donuts / doughnuts in the United States in 2020. The data has been calculated by Statista based on the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). According to this statistic, 201.02 million Americans consumed donuts / doughnuts in 2020.