Olykoeks
Overview
Discover the history around delicious doughnuts.
Olykoeks
by Sue Larson Pascoe
Most people have eaten doughnuts. Have you ever wondered where the first doughnuts were made? Who thought up the idea of a fried bread with a hole in the middle?
No one knows for sure who made the first doughnuts. Some people think that doughnuts probably began in the 1800s. In Denmark, people made “olykoeks” or “oily cakes.” A cook would not want to waste any scraps of food. Leftover pieces of bread dough were put into hot oil and fried. Olykoeks were tasty on the outside, but uncooked in the middle. That made the middle of the cakes soggy.
Her name was Elizabeth Gregory. She replaced the soggy center with spices and nuts. Elizabeth’s son, Captain Gregory, did not like nuts, so he punched out the center. The outcome was the first hole in a doughnut. Others think that Captain Gregory saw holed pastries in Europe. They think he brought that idea back to America.
Some people say that the mother of a New England sea captain made the first real doughnut. Her name was Elizabeth Gregory. She traded the soggy center with spices and nuts. But Elizabeth’s son, Captain Gregory, did not like nuts, so he punched out the center. The outcome was the first hole in a doughnut. Others think that Captain Gregory saw holed pastries in Europe. They think he brought that idea back to America.
During World War I, homesick American soldiers in Europe were served doughnuts. Brave women volunteered to make the doughnuts. They were called “Doughnut Girls.” Doughnut Girls wore helmets and uniforms. They often worked in dangerous conditions. The women made doughnut cutters out of a large can with a smaller can inside it to cut out the hole. They could set up a pot of hot oil to fry the dough almost anywhere.
Doughnut machines were invented in the 1920s. Machines made doughnuts faster and easier than before. Still, many people preferred to make their favorite doughnuts at home.
Today, doughnuts are available in many places. Most people have a favorite kind. You might like sugar-glazed doughnuts, doughnuts dipped in chocolate, or doughnuts covered in sprinkles. Maybe you prefer doughnuts that don’t even have holes, like maple bars, twisted cinnamon, or jelly-filled doughnuts. Then again, you might just like to eat the doughnut holes. Yum!
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