The dispute rages on regarding the origin of the donut (and even the name… is it “Donut” or “Doughnut”?). According to the National Day calendar folks, one theory suggests Dutch settlers brought donuts to North America, much like they brought other traditional American desserts. The Dutch are credited with the apple pie, cream pie and cobbler.
Donut shapes are as varied as their history. Was the original donut round? If so, American Hanson Gregory laid claim to inventing the ring-shaped donut in 1847 while working onboard a lime-trading ship. Only 16 at the time, Gregory claims he punched a hole in the center of dough with the ship’s tin pepper box. Later, he taught the technique to his mother.
Traveling further back in time, we look at an English cookbook. According to anthropologist Paul R. Mullins, an 1803 volume included donuts in the appendix of American recipes. However, the earliest recorded usage of the term donut is found in a short story in a Boston Times article about “fire-cakes and dough-nuts” published in 1808.
A more commonly cited first written recording of the word is Washington Irving’s (the author of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow) reference to donuts in 1809 in his History of New York. He described balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog’s fat. The author called them donuts. Don’t lose your head over the donut debate, celebrate by treating the shop to “Donuts” or “Doughnuts” of their choice!
