Doughnuts and World War I: What’s the connection between them?

Doughnuts are one of the most popular ready-to-eat, fried snacks available today. However, like a lot of other food items, they too have a delicious and interesting history. In fact, legends would have us believe that these fried dough pastries became a symbol of volunteerism during World War I.. Here’s all you need to know about the history, etymology and popularity of this dish.

Where did doughnuts come from?
Well, dough is said to have been fried by humans for over a thousand years. Deep-fried cakes with honey were a favourite of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and a few variations of the sweet treat eventually spread throughout Europe. However, the actual credit for introducing donuts to the world goes to the Dutch. So, legend goes that Dutch immigrants brought food from the Netherlands with them when they settled in New York City which was formerly known as New Amsterdam. Now, the Dutch people had a popular dish called oil cakes or Olykoeks that involved frying dough chunks in pork fat. With the passage of time, these oil cakes became famous in America.

Who gave doughnuts their present-day shape?
Some say that the doughnut we know today — a ring-shaped treat with a hole in the middle — did not exist until 1847. Believe us if you would, an American sailor by the name of Hanson Gregory, is said to have come up with the present-day version of the culinary delight. Could you tell me more? So, while the doughnuts used to be crispy on the outside, they were still raw and lumpy in the centre. It was when the 16-year-old Gregory was working aboard a lime trading ship that he decided to completely remove the middle of the cake through the lid of a tin pepper box. What happened next? Well, the young sailor went home to his mother and showed off his new found innovation to her. Within no time, the ring-shaped deep-fried pastries a.k.a doughnuts became a local sensation in Maine, USA. The rest, they say, is history. 

What’s with that name?
Not just the origins, but also the nomenclature of this dessert has intrigued etymologists for long. In other words, while the first half of the word (dough) is easily traceable; the latter half (nut) has posed a question for many. According to some sources, it’s believed that ‘nut’ refers to the original small and round shape of the snack before a hole-in-the-middle came along. On the other hand, the nut could also have originated from nuts like pecans and almonds being stuffed in the centre of the oil cakes to cover up the raw part of the delicacy. 

What role did doughnuts play in World War I?
Unbelievable as it may appear, doughnuts took on a nationalistic flavour during the World War I. How was that? Well, the Salvation Army, a Christian humanitarian organisation, sent about 250 volunteers, mostly women, to France where American troops were stationed. It was at this point that the United States of America entered World War I in 1917. So, the idea was to deliver food and supplies as close as possible to the front lines. However, the female volunteers had less access to resources the closer they were to the field. To tackle this, two officers-cum-volunteers Margaret Sheldon and Helen Purviance had brought flour, sugar, lard, baking powder, and canned milk with them and doughnuts were one of the few items they could make without an oven. All they needed was a pan to heat the oil and fry the dough balls in it even as they used their ingenuity to create rolling pins, hole punchers and doughnut cutters with grape juice bottles and shell casings. These delicacies were then offered to the US troops during World War I. Moreover, these dedicated women eventually came to be known as ‘Doughnut Lassies’ in whose honour June 3 is celebrated as National Doughnut Day in the USA. 

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