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Donuts or doughnuts, a bakery item usually found quite likable among elders and youngsters alike, surprisingly originated among the Dutch as simply ‘oil cakes.’ Oil cakes boasted a basic round shape further fried in excessive oil and had a vegetable or fruit filling in the center. From a basic oil cake to emerging as one of the most common snacks for all ages, these donuts soon found the avid eyes of creative bakers. Someone would claim that there are about fifty kinds in total while another would say it’s definitely more than that. In that regard, quantifying the types of these delicious snacks is quite impossible unless one would spend millions of dollars to visit every bakery around the globe. Although, most would agree that there are about ten most popular donuts that are relished all across the globe. Following are about eighteen universal favorite donuts in descending order that possess a unique texture, flavor, topping, filling style and the outer shape.
Glazed Donuts- a Favorite for all Age Groups
Starting off from the most popular type i.e. a glazed donut, which is perceived as the best among all age groups. Its simple, glazed-over design and various glaze types is what makes this veteran donut so intriguing. The amount of sweet is just enough to make a child’s mouth water and an adult to enjoy it with an afternoon tea. According to one research, about 10 billion donuts are sold out in America each year, while these types of donuts secure their position as the best seller in the country. Another worth-mentioning fact about them is their high calorie and low nutritional value. A basic glazed donut contains about 240 to 280 calories, inducing high risk of poor health among their fans.
Chocolate-Chip Sprinkled Chocolate Donuts
Similar to glazed donuts, chocolate donuts are the runner-ups for the most consumed donuts around the globe. Funny enough, these donuts can easily be categorized as a glazed donut, but due to its contagious popularity, especially among adolescents, they are now regarded mostly as a separate type. They are sold in fast food restaurants and bakeries with chocolate chip sprinkles as the most commonly demanded topping. Adults and people with serious teeth and gum issues would rather refrain from this delicious snack than meeting a dentist in their area.
Delectable Fritter Doughnuts made of Fruits
Coming to our third type is the well-heard fritter donuts, a donut made with slices of fruits such as apples, pineapple, or bananas. While its liking may depend upon a person’s liking to the fruit, they are still quite savored by lots of people, especially children. Its somewhat, rough exterior and a soft and delectable interior provide a peculiarly soothing sense among countless individual. Apple fritter is commonly preferred over other fritter type donuts, and as such, they are among the common types made in the United States every day.
Sour Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
Securing the fourth place is none other than the donut made with sour cream, known as old-fashioned donuts or simply, sour cream donuts. Unlike its other fellow donuts, this one is not made to sweeten the mouth, but surprisingly enough, it is loved equally as any other regular donut. It actually shares a lot of similarities with the fritter donuts when it comes to texture, but unlike fritter donuts, these donuts are regular in shape, and almost resemble cogs in a machine. Another way to describe it is to compare it with a daisy. Old-fashioned donuts themselves have low sweetness affinity, but lots of people like to pour strawberry or chocolate syrups before eating them, the addition of which balances out an otherwise sour cream, buttermilk donut.
Buttermilk Doughnuts- a Donut with Spices as Toppings
There is quite the popular type in Europe known as Buttermilk donuts, a type of cake donuts that can be accessed just about in every bakery. Some basic variations include regular buttermilk donuts and old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts. These donuts can be decorated with spices such as cinnamon, lemon zest or pumpkin spice.
Stick-shaped Churros with Chocolate Sauce
Moving on to the list is Churros, a donut neither in its name nor in the shape, but still fried very much like a donut. Some refer it as a churros donut as this food item is made of dough fried in oil and then either frosted or dipped in chocolate syrup before eating. In shape, they are long sticks resembling a syringe-like pattern, and partially bent. One interesting fact about churros is that this snack was recorded as the most popular snack in Disneyland park.
Fruit, Cream, or Jelly Filled Doughnuts
Another popular type is the filled donuts. These donuts are either filled with fruits, whipped cream, jelly, or any kind of filling that goes along the best with fried dough and a cup of tea. In fact, according to the type of combos connected with a donut, fillings of donut is akin to toppings, but not as popular as the latter. They are most commonly eaten among adults, and are easy to handle than a donut with topping. Furthermore, this kind was the first to be introduced in human history back when it was quite tiresome to fry a donut to the core.
The Boston Cream Donuts, a Specialty of Massachusett
According to some donut haters, these snacks are nothing more than a calorie bomb. If that is the case, then a dessert donut on this list might just change their mind. It is none other than the Boston cream donut, a type akin to a small round pastry and inspired by Boston cream pie. These donuts possess the least amount of yeast and have much lower weight of their own. Chocolate and whipped cream is added on the top for best flavors and texture. These donuts were declared as the official donuts of Massachusetts in 2003.
Torpedo Shaped Crullers of France and England
Moving onto another unique variation of doughnut is the cruller having a shape similar to that of a torpedo. They are popular in New England and France albeit having different flavors. The variation in flavor is mostly due to the fact that the type of dough utilized to make crullers is different in both the regions. The French use a regular dough while English uses a dough which is also used to make Eclairs.
Hybrid of Croissant and Doughnuts, a Cronut
Another unique and notable type of donut that has been gaining slight popularity is known as Cronut. It is typically perceived as a child of croissant and donut thus the name Cronut. These pastries resemble a donut and not widely accepted as one. Cronuts are made from dough and flavored cream, and are deep fried in grapeseed oil. These snacks were originally made in the United States by a French chef in 2013. A famous incident often retold regarding cronuts is how about 100 people gathered outside the shop in which these tasty items were first made.
Simple and Delicious Coconut Donut with Tea
Switching from unique forms of donuts to a normal looking one, a coconut donut is also regarded as a kind of its own. They are the best substitute for a traditional donut. Like fritter and old fashioned donuts, they have the same rough and tough surface due to a thick layer of grated coconut which also serves as a nice topping alternate. Similar to a traditional glazed donut, these are often relished with a nice cup of hot tea as a breakfast option.
Uniquely shaped Long Jones with Custard Filling
Coming next is a donut known as Long Johns or Eclairs. The different names depend upon the region one lives on American continent. Eclairs is used mostly in Canada and North America, while it changes to Long Johns in Central America and below. The donuts are filled with cream or sometimes custard and the exterior is lubricated with cake icing. Its shape is as that of a hot dog or a cream roll, and is commonly consumed in America, not quite popular in other regions of the world.
Tiger Tail and its Variations
There is a donut as unique as Churros, known as Tiger tail. These are twisted donuts, and although the name is given because of how it is presented, it can be found in other parts of the world not quite similar to a tiger’s tail but still a twisted donut. Tiger tails are formed by mixing and twisting the donuts with other ingredients such as cinnamon, apple or event coconut.
Children’s Favorite Fast Food- Devil’s Donut
Talking about oddly named donuts, one is known as Devil’s food donut, a donut sold with other desserts. It is definitely not the most popular type but has gained popularity with its funny naming. This dessert is named as such to convey the true role it plays when you place it in front of the children. Its round cake like appearance, chocolate coated exterior and ringed sweet frosting on the surface entice any child looking for something sweet on the table.
Paczki of Poland
Paczki next in the list is a polish donut much like a cruller. They are deep fried and then flattened, after which a sweet filling is added before coating their surface and placing powdered sugar. One might call it the same as Jelly donut, but these types often use confiture which is a fruit jam or a marmalade absent in Jelly donuts. There has always been a dispute about the origins of Paczki. Some say the donut was created by polish while others argue it to be the variation of another Chinese cuisine serving. Nevertheless, the snack was consumed widely in Poland during King August III reign, and still enjoyed by many across Europe and North America during celebrations. In Poland, these snacks also contain a bit of Polish vodka known as Spiritus.
French Beignet Mixed with Alcohol
There is a donut of French origins which is quite popular in the west, known as Beignet which is the French word for fritter. Made from Choux pastry dough, beignets have a soft square shape. They have regular donut ingredients and mostly served with icing on top. Beignets have deep sweet flavor and often referred as a pastry rather than a donut. They share a lot of form resembles to a fritter with tough exterior and soft interior. These donuts, unlike many, lack a hole for filling and have a scant amount of alcohol in them.
The Golden Doughnuts
Inspired by Cinnamon rolls are Pershing cinnamon donuts or Golden donuts. They were named after a General named John J. Pershing who served as the United States military leader during World War-I. They are made the same way as a cinnamon roll but with dough which makes the donut look golden. These snacks are quite popular among Polish-American population and are often served as a breakfast or a simple dessert in bakeries.
Cider Donuts with Chocolate Syrup
Last on the list is Apple Cider donut or simply Cider donut. These donuts have much more popularity than most of the aforementioned types of snacks because of their liking among younger population. Remarkably, this donut was made back in 1800s when apple cider was a common drink and an effective way to preserve apples. The apples were boiled and then converted to condense liquid form before its preservation. Apple Cider donuts are often fried in the fall season and enjoyed greatly with caramel or chocolate syrups. More importantly, this dessert can easily be made at home.
The Best Type to Enjoy and Why?
To wind it all up, although there is no end to the types of donuts in the world having quite unique and exotic creativity to them, it should still be remembered that the most loved has always been the traditional one, the glazed donuts. They can be seen as the father of all donuts created thereof. Still, continuous emergence of new recipes and techniques to satisfy every individual around the globe remain the hot pursuit of every baker.
