Let me warn you: this is a long post. A really long post. It probably contains more information about doughnuts than you knew existed. We don’t eat doughnuts very often these days but we certainly have some great memories. Plus I had great fun writing it and learning a few things myself in the process. Read the whole thing or skip around and read here and there. Or just look at the pictures and drool. May the doughnuts be with you!
You might have already heard that Krispy Kreme doughnuts is offering a daily glazed doughnut for the rest of 2021 to anyone who shows them their vaccination card. It is their way of encouraging people to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. They are also giving their employees paid time off to go and get their vaccinations, as are some other companies—Starbucks, Target, Trader Joe’s, Best Buy and a few more.
It has been several years since I have indulged in a Krispy Kreme doughnut, primarily because for the past half-decade prior to living in Asheville, we lived in solid Dunkin’ Donut territory where Krispy Kremes are few and far between. We have also been waging war against the sugar monster that knows our names only too well so we have resisted the lure of doughnuts.
Certainly I would have virtually applauded Krispy Kreme’s efforts towards encouraging people to be vaccinated (we have been), but I don’t know that I would have traveled to the other side of Asheville to get my free doughnut.
HOWEVER, when this daily doughnut offer became controversial, it got my attention. First it was the anti-vaxxers complaining that it was unfair that they couldn’t have a free doughnut because they weren’t getting the vaccine. I burst out laughing at this news. Oh, for goodness sakes! We are talking about a 99 cent doughnut! Get vaccinated or buy your own doughnut.
Then some medical professionals began criticizing because “doughnuts aren’t healthy” (did we ever think or say they were?!?!!). At that point it became a matter of pandemic principle and Tom and I decided we were making the cross town trek to get our free doughnut. As Krispy Kreme CEO Mike Tattersfield said in defense of their offer, “…if folks don’t want to visit a doughnut shop, they don’t have to.”
We decided we didn’t HAVE to visit but now we WANTED to visit.
I called the local Krispy Kreme here in Asheville (there is only one) to be sure they were offering the free donut. The very nice woman who answered the phone replied, “Let me check to be sure.” Then I heard her yell to a co-worker, “Are we giving away free Covid doughnuts?” The reply was, “Yes, we are.”
We drove across town, showed our vaccination cards and got our free doughnuts. They asked if we wanted to buy anything else and we said, “No. Just the one free doughnut.” Probably not what Krispy Kreme had hoped from their grateful customers, but one tasty hot and fresh fried and glazed treat was enough for us. I have to say—that doughnut was absolutely delicious. Sorry, anti-vaxxers.
That doughnut led me to start thinking about doughnuts. Is it doughnut or donut? How did doughnuts become so popular? Why is Krispy Kreme more southern and Dunkin’ more of a New England thing? Is there a world’s best doughnut? A biggest doughnut? When did this all start?
So here are a few things I have learned about doughnuts:
Doughnut versus donut: The original, and I will say correct, spelling per the Oxford English Dictionary, is doughnut. The alternative spelling of donut did not appear until 1950 when Dunkin’ Donuts was established and decided to spell it that way.
Who invented the doughnut? This is debatable. A doughnut is defined as a small roundish spongy, usually sweetened cake made of dough and fried in (at least originally) hog fat (lard), frequently made in the shape of a thick ring. Doughnuts and other fried dough variations have been found in multiple cultures and countries for many centuries. The doughnut as we know it (or close to what we know) came from Manhattan (when it was still called New Amsterdam) with the rather unappealing Dutch name of olykoeks--"oily cakes.”
The March 1968 Smithsonian Magazine featured an article about the history of doughnuts which reveals how they came to be called dough-nuts:
“ Fast-forward to the mid-19th century and Elizabeth Gregory, a New England ship captain's mother who made a wicked deep-fried dough that cleverly used her son's spice cargo of nutmeg and cinnamon, along with lemon rind. Some say she made it so son Hanson and his crew could store a pastry on long voyages, one that might help ward off scurvy and colds. In any case, Mrs. Gregory put hazelnuts or walnuts in the center, where the dough might not cook through, and in a literal-minded way called them doughnuts.
Her son always claimed credit for something less than that: putting the hole in the doughnut. Some cynical doughnut historians maintain that Captain Gregory did it to stint on ingredients, others that he thought the hole might make the whole easier to digest. Still others say that he gave the doughnut its shape when, needing to keep both hands on the wheel in a storm, he skewered one of his mom's doughnuts on a spoke of his ship's wheel. In an interview with the Boston Post at the turn of the century, Captain Gregory tried to quell such rumors with his recollection of the moment 50 years before: using the top of a round tin pepper box, he said, he cut into the middle of a doughnut "the first doughnut hole ever seen by mortal eyes.”
Doughnuts rose to even greater popularity when they were served by young women volunteers to soldiers in the trenches of France during World War I. When those soldiers returned to the States they were hungry for more doughnuts!
If you’d like to read more about doughnut history check out this article:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-the-doughnut-150405177/
Krispy Kreme versus Dunkin’ Donuts: Some will say it isn’t a competition but I disagree. People tend to be passionate about their favorite. I think much of it has to do with which type of doughnuts you grew up eating which is why I will always favor Krispy Kreme. Though I admit I can’t really remember meeting a doughnut I didn’t like.
Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937 by Vernon Rudolph in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Krispy Kreme isn’t everywhere. There are 360 locations but you will be unable to take advantage of the free doughnut offer if you live in Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, South Dakota, or Wyoming. No Krispy Kremes in Puerto Rico either.
Dunkin’ Donuts (now just called Dunkin’) isn’t everywhere either but almost. They have over 12,000 locations (Rosenberg was an early genius when it came to franchising) in 41 states and Washington, D.C., yet none in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. Dunkin’ has a significant international presence as well.
Krispy Kreme actually makes and cooks their doughnuts on site. When you see the lighted red neon sign that declares HOT AND FRESH, they really mean it.
Dunkin’ Donuts brings in their donuts each morning by truck. They are made and cooked off site.
A glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut has 190 calories; a glazed Dunkin’ Donut has 240 calories but I do think the Dunkin’ one is a bit larger so you can probably call it even. Besides if you are eating doughnuts/donuts, you probably aren’t counting calories.
Cake versus Yeast Doughnuts: This seems just a matter of personal taste. I like both but they are quite different. Yeast doughnuts are light, airy, and fluffy. Cake doughnuts are leavened with baking powder, and have a texture described as like...well, cake! At many doughnut shops you can buy gluten-free doughnuts now. but I have never tried them (and probably won’t).
Where is the biggest doughnut? That would be the 32 foot cement doughnut on top of Randy’s Donuts in Hollywood. If you haven’t seen it in person you might have caught a glimpse in Iron Man 2, Wayne’s World or Coming to America.
Childhood Memories
I remember the original little Krispy Kreme shop in Raleigh, North Carolina where I grew up. It was a treat to go there with my mom to pick up a dozen for our family. My brother and I were fans of the chocolate iced variety but I remember we always had to get one filled with lemon jelly and one filled with raspberry jam; those were reserved for my father. Those two were not available to the rest of the family when choosing from the box.
The other childhood doughnut memory I have is Britt’s Donuts at Carolina Beach. They have changed very little since my childhood. All they serve are freshly fried and glazed doughnuts, coffee and milk. The only seating is a long counter with stools. Our annual family beach vacation always included a visit to Britt’s. One rainy summer, I am sure out of maternal desperation, my mother decided to take all three of us kids (my Dad begged off) to see Gone with the Wind at the movie theater at the beach. I don’t remember how old we were but I think my mother feared the movie was too long for our attention span so she got a large bag of Britt’s donuts to take into the theater with us. When we started to squirm and wiggle, she would pass us one of those hot, sugary, greasy donuts. Never before and never since have I feasted on donuts in a movie theater, but I have very sweet memories of that rainy afternoon.
Many years later I insisted that my husband come with me to visit Britt’s Donuts. His sweet tooth is not as overpowering as mine, so when we finally got a spot at the counter and the waitress approached, he ordered one doughnut and a glass of milk. The waitress paused. Silent. She gave him one of those Well, bless your heart looks and scolded, “Honey, nobody orders just one doughnut. NOBODY.” He quickly snapped to attention and changed his order to TWO doughnuts. That was acceptable to our waitress and after trying those Britt’s donuts, Tom had no regrets he had doubled his order.
More Doughnut Memories
Spudnuts, Charlottesville, Virginia: It might have been the Spudnut Coffee Shop in Charlottesville, Virginia that tipped us over the edge to always be on the lookout for a good non-chainstore doughnut. Spudnuts are made with potato flour (thus, the name). Once when my brother and his family were coming to visit us when we lived in Charlottesville, I got a phone call from my brother.
“Well, I have bad news and good news,” he announced. “The bad news is that our car broke down. The good news is that it broke down in the parking lot of Spudnuts.” My brother was the ultimate doughnut lover so that breakdown was a dream come true. Some might say he willed it.
Sadly, Spudnuts closed down in 2016. I don’t know if they couldn’t survive after we moved away or what happened, but those potato flour donuts are part of our early days of doughnut love.
Poorhouse Pies, Underhill, Vermont: So you are wondering why I am listing a pie shop when this post is about doughnuts, right? Well, long long ago (at least 5 years ago) there was a little pie shop run by two awesome women and on Sundays of holiday weekends they would make doughnuts. Beautiful, beautiful doughnuts. We could never go because as a priest, Sunday was a big work and worship day for me. But once a year, the Cathedral had a Sunday evening service because the Burlington Marathon was held on Sunday morning. So one year we made the trek to Underhill and stood in line for doughnuts. They were amazing. Sadly (but understandably) they had to stop making doughnuts. It was a case of getting too popular when you are just a small (two people) business. So those wonderful doughnut Sundays with those card tables laden with homemade doughnuts are no longer. I am so glad we got to go once. Funny to think that a marathon was the gateway to enjoying doughnuts!
Doughnut Plant, New York City: I don’t know how Tom heard about Doughnut Plant (Facebook, perhaps??) but it took two trips to New York City before he announced that he was not going home until he got to try the Creme Brûlée doughnut there. It took some walking and a subway ride, but we found their shop next to the Chelsea Hotel; let’s just say we were not disappointed. The only problem is you can only eat so many doughnuts in one sitting and they don’t keep well. New Yorkers are lucky to have multiple Doughnut Plant locations to visit.
Voodoo Donuts, Denver, Colorado: When our son lived in Colorado, he introduced us to Voodoo Donuts. Our first visit was one of waiting in a ridiculously long line that stretched down the block; we waited for what seemed like hours. Our grandchildren were amazingly patient because they knew what was coming at the end of that wait. When we finally made it into the shop, it did not take long to make our choices and fill one of those beautiful pink boxes with a variety of delicious donuts. We avoided their clever R- rated donuts (if you’ve been you know what I am talking about) since we had our grandchildren with us. with us. Definitely worth the pilgrimage to Voodoo!
Tribeca Grill, New York City: This is not a doughnut shop but we had a memorable doughnut experience there. On one NYC visit, we happened to be there for lunch (when they still served lunch) and they weren’t very busy. The chef was trying out a new recipe and treated us to some freshly made doughnut holes that we will never forget. We love the Tribeca Grill as it holds wonderful memories for us. Those hot, sugary doughnut holes added to the memories.
(Note: The restaurant Duck Fat in Portland, Maine also serves amazing doughnut holes)
Holy Donut, Scarborough and Portland, Maine: We accidentally discovered Holy Donut on a trip to Maine. It’s another of the potato flour family of donuts and their maple bacon donut…well, all I can say is this: you want it. There is a location in Portland as well as the one in Scarborough, Maine that we stumbled upon.
We met the owner Leigh Kellis and she was as wonderful as the donuts. She wrote this in her book WOMEN WHO NEED DONUTS:
Donuts changed my life.
I decided to make donuts after years of telling myself I couldn’t have them, and instead listening to another voice that said, “Yes you can.”
This book is the story of making a business — and all decisions — out of love.
Donuts were love for my appetite. Love for my cravings. Love for my community. Love for my life — needing to pay my bills. Love for my family. Love for my daughter. My dad’s love for me.
Another wonderful book about doughnuts, unrelated to Holy Donuts (though it is about love), is the children’s book WHO NEEDS DONUTS? by Mark Alan Stamaty.
Future Doughnut Excursions
Asheville has a plethora of small, independent doughnut shops. Because of our desire to tame the sugar monster, we have not tried any of them (yet), but I think Leigh Kellis’ words may encourage us to thoughtfully sample them one doughnut at a time.
In case you wander around Asheville before we do, you might want to enjoy these spots:
Duck Donuts, Merrimon Avenue, (Part of a chain but a very delicious chain we hear)
Vortex Donuts, Banks Avenue
Hole, Haywood Road
Black Mountain Doughnut Factory in Black Mountain
The thing you must remember when you are out hunting for doughnuts is that doughnut shops often sell out early in the day. Get up. Go out. The early birds get the doughnuts.
And yes! So many doughnuts, so little time!
Please free to comment and share some of your favorite doughnut/donut spots and memories.
I love all the research that you put into this post--really interesting to know the history of doughnuts! Have I taken you to Ma's Donuts in New Bedford? They are THE BEST! They closed down, but will reopen shortly. One of my favorite things there is how the counter curves around the room, with little nooks to sit in while you drink coffee and eat doughnuts. There's also a great place out in Westport. The shop is attached to the owner's house, and is very small. I don't even know if it exists anymore. When it's your turn to order, you better know what you want, or the owner will give you a very stern look. No hemming and hawing! Order and get out of the way!
I have wondered where the “nut” in doughnuts came from but never bothered to look it up so you answered my question. I am not a big doughnut eater, not because I don’t like them as they are delicious, but for the reason they have lots of calories. When I do have one I prefer the glazed or the jelly or lemon filled ones. No chocolate ones for me as I am not a chocolate lover. As I have had both COVID vaccinations I should go to Krispy Kreme for my free doughnut! Enjoyed your article.😊