You might wonder where the doughnut came from. It seems that almost every culture around the world, has some form of fried cake, which to most, seems to be the defining feature of doughnuts- that they be fried.

In the King James Bible you'll find the description of "cakes mingled with oil, and fine flour fried", by Leviticus. But nowhere does it say the cake had a hole in the center. So the overwhelming question would be- is the hole a necessity to define the doughnut?

Apparently not. But it has been around in that form for centuries, as evidenced by Juan van der Hamen y Leon's famous 1627 painting "Still Life With Sweets", which shows what appear to be a pair of doughnuts on a plate. This would have been right around the period where the French were enjoying a fried cake of the classic shape, which they called a "beignet". They also produced a charming little sweet resembling a cinammon roll, which acquired the unusual moniker of "nun's farts", as a secular way of poking fun at the restrictions of the Church.

With circumnavigation of the globe, the deserts and dishes of dozens of countries came to be shared with and an influence in, the cookery of other nations. In the Middle East, where the bagel was king, they also served the sfenj, a Moroccan fritter with nuts and a sprinkling of honey or sugar.

But it was likely the Dutch "olykoeks", or oily cakes, which brought the doughnut to America, where Elizabeth Gregory of New England, became renowned for her superb recipe, circa 1847.