Happy Cream-filled Donut Day! I hope you celebrate if you want or can, I know I will be! I wanted to find out who we have to thank for this wonderful treat!?
In 1803 a cookbook was published that contained donuts, and it didn’t take long for it to become the delicious treat we know today. Donuts have a reputation as a singularly American food, in spite of its Dutch origins.
The ring shape that we all know and love came into being when Hanson Gregory, working on a lime-trading ship, punched a hole in the traditionally dense donut (They were braided or simply a round small loaf at the time, leaving the center doughy and the exterior greasy) and fried it. The light flavor and fluffy texture of the cooked dough were exactly what he was looking for and afterward taught it to his mother.
Being a clever woman, his mother, Elizabeth Gregory, made a donut with cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon rind, and then filled the center with a mixture of hazelnuts or walnuts to replace the missing dough.
It is unknown who the person was who decided that cream (or créme) would make a delightful filling. All we do know is it started with Elizabeth Gregory and her idea of filling the holes in her new donuts.
What's your favorite donut? Mine is definitely the cream-filled donuts from a family-owned bakery in Makawao, Hawaii that's been in business for over 100 years.
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