Happy National Doughnut Day, June 3!
Or, let’s call it National Doughnut Festivus, and celebrate all weekend long!
Happy Doughnut Day!
It’s like a Hallmark holiday, created by the Salvation Army giving out doughnuts to soldiers to World War I soldiers, but perpetuated by people who want to sell us something. But, who cares when it’s about doughnuts!
As a public service, myMEGusta is happy to share a link to the Huffington Post’s excellent summary of special doughnut deals all over the country: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gobankingrates/national-donut-day-deals_b_10223296.html
The concept of fried dough dates from time immemorial, and goes across myriad cultures (think of Native American fried dough in the Southwestern US, or of Chinese fried wontons).
According to Wikipedia, although they won’t vouch for accuracy, the first written appearance of what we consider the modern doughnut (“dow nut”) appeared in 1800, the “Hertfordshire nut.” This also stands for the Hertfordshire National Union of Teachers, so the whole story may be spurious, a practical joke that someone started on the internet.
Doughnuts!
Whatever their history truly is, doughnuts are delightful and their variety is endless.
Raised versus cake? Round or holes or twisted crullers? Are the crullers made of cakelike batter or of éclair pastry? Filled? Glazed or cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar or icing? Chocolate? Cronuts? Beignets in New Orleans? Round or holes or twisted crullers? Are the crullers made of cakelike batter or of éclair pastry? Cronuts? Mini-donuts at state fairs?
Beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans
Where myMEGusta lives, in New England, there seem to be doughnut stores on every other corner, whether Dunkin’ Donuts or Donut Delight or whatever. (The alternate corners house pizza shops.)
A favorite taste memory is the steaming hot doughnuts fresh from the fryer at in seaside Maine, many years ago. Au natural, they didn’t need any sugar or other embellishments.
Doughnuts!!!
Being something of a doughnut purist, myMEGusta draws the line at sandwiches made by putting fried chicken or bacon inside a sliced sweet doughnut, although this sweet/salty confection might be just as delicious as chocolate covered bacon, which sounds dreadful but is actually wonderful.
myMEGusta 
During my childhood in Austria doughnuts called Krapfen in German were a carnival season specialty. There was other fried pastry during the year but only towards the end of the carnival season the round yeast doughnuts were made. It was an elaborate process involving double proofing, getting the apricot jam exactly in the center so the doughnuts would not be loop sided and finally careful frying putting then filled disks upside down into the fat, putting a lid on for a minute or two, then turning over with the handle of a wooden spoon. The perfect Krapfen would have a yellow band around the waist attesting to the pastry chef’s skill.
Barry speaks wistfully of the Dutch donut from his childhood called Oliebollen.