Word Wednesday ~ Doughnut

~ Doughnuts are delicious. Let's talk about it. ~ 

What is it? A small fried cake of dough, typically in the shape of a ball or ring. But you already knew that. 

'Doughnut' vs. 'Donut'...whats the deal? Accoring to grammarist.com, 'doughnut' was the original spelling. "The shortened donut has been around since the late 1800s, but it wasn’t popularized until the late 20th century, when the successful American doughnut chain Dunkin’ Donuts made it ubiquitous. Today, writers outside the U.S. still favor doughnut by a wide margin. Donut appears about a third of the time in published American writing." 
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Where did it come from? David A. Taylor explains the history of the friend doughy goodness for Smithsonian Mag, recognizing their multi-cultural history. "Of course, doughnuts in some form or other have been around so long that archaeologists keep turning up fossilized bits of what look like doughnuts in the middens of prehistoric Native American settlements. But the doughnut proper (if that's the right word) supposedly came to Manhattan (then still New Amsterdam) under the unappetizing Dutch name of olykoeks--"oily cakes."

Elizabeth Gregory, a New England ship captain's mother, is frequently credited with the creation of the name, being known for fried dough cakes with walnuts or hazelnuts in the center - hence, "dough-nuts." MrBreakfast.com points out that "a more plausible explanation of the name is far less exciting, early recipes instructed amateur chefs to create "little nuts of dough" and place these balls into the hot oil."

Where should you eat them? Well, anyplace, really, but it's no secret that the specialty doughnut scene is on the rise as a happy accompaniment to specialty coffee (or even on their own.) "Artisan" or "craft" doughnuts can range from a traditional glazed round with a blueberry basil icing, to the "cronut" - a doughnut made of croissant dough and topped with additional goodness, such as the one above found at Kitchen No. 324 in Oklahoma City. Food and Wine has a great national list, and if you're in Colorado, Eater's list will put you on the right path. A few team favorites include:

​General American Donut Company - Indianapolis
Rocket 88 Doughnuts - Indianapolis
Glazed and Infused - Chicago
Glam Doll Donuts - Minneapolis
Doughnut Lounge (coming soon!) - Kansas City
Hana's Donuts - Kansas City 
Doughmaker Donuts - Houston
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Where's your favorite doughnut stop? Tell us in the comments! 

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