The History of the Doughnut - Smithsonian Magazine

Her son always claimed credit for something less than that: putting the hole in the doughnut. Some cynical doughnut historians maintain that Captain Gregory ... JacquelineMoen AttheNationalMuseumofAmericanHistoryonedaylastJuly,anuprightpianostoodonastage.Besideit,onawoodenpallet,wasastrangemetalcontraptionaboutfivefeethigh.TheRingKingJr.,onceAmerica'smostadvancedautomaticdoughnutmaker,hadjustbeendonatedtotheSmithsonianInstitutionbytheKrispyKremeDoughnutCorporation.ItwasKrispyKreme's60thbirthday. Inmyownsixthormaybeseventhyear,Irememberstoppinginatthegreen,redandwhiteKrispyKremeplaceinAlexandria,Virginia.Therewasawideglasswindowbehindthecounter,andyoucouldlookinthereatallthoseshinyconveyorbeltsandracksfilledwithfreshglazeddoughnuts,andhalfswoonatthewarmthandsweetvanillarichnessofitall.AttheSmithsoniandedication,theRingKingwassalutedasamilestoneinAmericandoughnuthistory.Thenasinger,CindyHutchins,steppeduptothemikeanddrawingonthemuseum'sarchiveofpopularsheetmusic(morethanamillionsongsinall)sang,"Whomadethedoughnutwiththeholeinthemiddle?Justhowitgottherewillbealwaysariddle." Well,yesandno.ItistruethatthehumbledoughnutdoeshaveaconvolutedpastthatinvolvesDutchimmigrants,Russianexiles,Frenchbakers,IrvingBerlin,ClarkGableandacertainnumberofNativeAmericans.And,yes,initsdemocraticethos,itsoptimism,anditsassortedorigins,itdoesseemratherquintessentiallyAmerican. OfcoursedoughnutsinsomeformorotherhavebeenaroundsolongthatarchaeologistskeepturningupfossilizedbitsofwhatlooklikedoughnutsinthemiddensofprehistoricNativeAmericansettlements.Butthedoughnutproper(ifthat'stherightword)supposedlycametoManhattan(thenstillNewAmsterdam)undertheunappetizingDutchnameofolykoeks--"oilycakes." Fast-forwardtothemid-19thcenturyandElizabethGregory,aNewEnglandshipcaptain'smotherwhomadeawickeddeep-frieddoughthatcleverlyusedherson'sspicecargoofnutmegandcinnamon,alongwithlemonrind.SomesayshemadeitsosonHansonandhiscrewcouldstoreapastryonlongvoyages,onethatmighthelpwardoffscurvyandcolds.Inanycase,Mrs.Gregoryputhazelnutsorwalnutsinthecenter,wherethedoughmightnotcookthrough,andinaliteral-mindedwaycalledthemdoughnuts. Hersonalwaysclaimedcreditforsomethinglessthanthat:puttingtheholeinthedoughnut.SomecynicaldoughnuthistoriansmaintainthatCaptainGregorydidittostintoningredients,othersthathethoughttheholemightmakethewholeeasiertodigest.Stillotherssaythathegavethedoughnutitsshapewhen,needingtokeepbothhandsonthewheelinastorm,heskeweredoneofhismom'sdoughnutsonaspokeofhisship'swheel.InaninterviewwiththeBostonPostattheturnofthecentury,CaptainGregorytriedtoquellsuchrumorswithhisrecollectionofthemoment50yearsbefore:usingthetopofaroundtinpepperbox,hesaid,hecutintothemiddleofadoughnut"thefirstdoughnutholeeverseenbymortaleyes." Onelikestothinkthatlesswasmore.Butinfactdoughnutsdidn'tcomeintotheirownuntilWorldWarI,whenmillionsofhomesickAmericandoughboysmetmillionsofdoughnutsinthetrenchesofFrance.Theywereservedupbywomenvolunteerswhoevenbroughtthemtothefrontlinestogivesoldiersatastytouchofhome.Whenthedoughboyscamebackfromthewartheyhadanatu-ralyenformoredoughnuts.(Thename"doughboy,"though,didn'tderivefromdoughnuts.ItgoesbacktotherelativelydoughnutlessCivilWar,whenthecavalryderidedfootsoldiersasdoughboys,perhapsbecausetheirglobularbrassbuttonsresembledflourdumplingsorbecausesoldiersusedflourtopolishtheirwhitebelts.) Thefirstdoughnutmachinedidnotcomealonguntil1920,inNewYorkCity,whenAdolphLevitt,anenterprisingrefugeefromczaristRussia,begansellingfrieddoughnutsfromhisbakery.Hungrytheatercrowdspushedhimtomakeagadgetthatchurnedoutthetastyringsfaster,andhedid. Levitt'sdoughnutmachinewasthefirstsignthatthedoughnut,tillthenmerelyatastesensation,could,inproduction,becomeapublicspectacle.Andsogenerationsofkidslikeme,andadults,too,havestoodtransfixedbytheWillyWonka-likescenebehindtheglassofdoughnutshops,learningintheprocessthatthedoughnutholeisbuiltin,notcutout.Therebeforethemacircleofdough,shapedlikeaperfectsmokering,andaboutthediameterofabaseball,droppedoffintoavatofboilingoil,circulated,gotturnedovertobrownontheotherside,andemergedfromtheoilonamovingramp,onebyonelikeducksinarow. Themachinesgrewmorerefined.Theideaspread.By1931,theNewYorkerwaswhisperingtoitsreaders,"Wecantellyoualittleaboutthedoughnut-makingplaceinBroadway,"anddescribedhow"doughnutsfloatdreamilythroughagreasecanalinaglassenclosedmachine,walkdreamilyupamovingramp,andtumbledreamilyintoanoutgoingbasket." Bythen,AdolphLevitt'smachineswereearninghimadreamy$25millionayear,mostlyfromwholesaledeliveriestobakersaroundthecountry.AcompanyspokesmanbreathlesslyreportedthatLevitt'smachinehadpulledthedoughnut"outofthemireofprejudicethatsurroundedtheheavy,grease-soakedproduct...andmadeitintoalight,puffyproductofamachine." Hehadapoint.Bythe1934World'sFairinChicago,doughnutswerepostermaterial,billedas"thefoodhitoftheCenturyofProgress."Seeingthemproduced"automatically"somehowmadethempartofthewaveofthefuture.Adoughnutcostlessthananickel,withinreachofmostoftheDepression'svictims.Theywerebaseandbeloved.Inthe1934filmItHappenedOneNight,ruggednewspapermanClarkGableactuallyhastoteachrunawayheiressClaudetteColberthowtodunk.Often,doughnutsweresoldwiththeirowncan-dophilosophy.SingerCindyHutchins'motherrecallsbuyingthemafterseeingmoviesatWashington,D.C.'sCapitolTheater.Theycamewithaslipofpapertobolsterthedowntrodden:"Asyougothroughlifemakethisyourgoal:Watchthedoughnut,notthehole." Itwasinthe1930s,too,andhalfacountryawayfromLevitt'sbusyHarlembakery,thataFrenchmannamedJoeLeBeaumadehiswayupfromNewOrleanstoPaducah,Kentucky.Probablythehardtimesledhimtosellhissecretrecipe(writtenoutlonghandonaslipofpaper),andthenameKrispyKreme,toalocalstoreownernamedIshmaelArmstrong,whohiredhisnephew,VernonRudolph,andputhimtoworksellingthetreatsdoor-to-door. In1937youngVernonandtwofriendsfoundthemselvesinWinston-Salem,NorthCarolina,withjust$25betweenthem.Theyborrowedingredients(potatoes,sugarandmilk)fromakindlygrocer,strippeddowntosurvivetheheatofbakinginJuly,andemergedwithafreshbatchofKrispyKremes,whichtheydeliveredintheir1936Pontiac.Thatyear,JoeLouiswasheavyweightchamp,AmeliaEarhartdisappearedoverthePacific,theGoldenGateBridgewascompleted,andapopularsongwasproclaimingthatyoucanliveondoughnutsandcoffeeif"you'reinlove." NorthCarolinianssoonfoundtheirwaytoRudolph'soperation,andbecauseit'shardtostaywholesalewhenthefragrancekeepsissuingretailflyersforeverybatch,Rudolph,likeLevittbeforehim,boostedlocalsalesbylettingthepublicsee,aswellasbuy.KrispyKremestillusesthiswholesale/retailsystem,sellingtogrocerystoresandtopassersbywhowatchfortheneon"HotDoughnutsNow"signtolightup,signalingafreshbatch. Warseemstobeapowerfulstimulanttodoughnutconsumption.Afterall,doughnutsenlistedforWorldWarIIjustasinWorldWarI.RedCrosswomen,laterknownasDoughnutDollies,doledthemout.Inhis1942Armymusical,IrvingBerlinromanticizedthedoughnutfurtherwithasoldierwholoseshisheartatBroadway'sStageDoorCanteenandeatshiswaythroughsomeanxiouswaiting:"Isattheredunkingdoughnutstillshecaughton."Notsurprisingly,VernonRudolphreturnedfrommilitarydutywiththoughtsofexpandinghisdoughnutchain.Anditwasrightaboutthen,intheearly1950s,thatthefirstRingKingstartedchurningawayinthebackroom. Bythelate1950s,in29KrispyKremestore-factoriesin12states,individualRingKingsliketheSmithsonian'smodelwereturningoutsomethinglike75dozendoughnutsanhour.Theyfacedstiffcompetition.Dunkin'Donuts,startedinQuincy,Massachusetts,in1950,hasbeenflourishingeversince.Bytheearly1980s,theRingKingJr.wasobsolete;afondmemoryfordoughnutaficionados,itwasreplacedbynewerandmoreelaborateequipment.Sadly,forawhilethere,thedoughnutitselfseemedtobegoingintodecline,especiallyinNewYorkwhereitwasbeingchallengedbythemoreurbanebagel.ButmyfriendsandI,doughnut-deprivedcollegestudentsinasmallNorthCarolinatown,thoughtnothingofa20-milejourneytoCharlotteat1A.M.forsolace:coffeesteamingonthecounter,theusualnightowlclientele,andfreshKrispyKremedoughnuts. Thesedaystheredoubtabledoughnut,madebyKrispyKremeandothers,isridinghigh.KrispyKremestores,longbestknownintheSouth,arespreadingNorthandWest,andsalesclimbed20percentin1997.LastFebruary,theNewYorkerdescribedtheManhattanstoreasa"shrine"andoncemoredetailedthedoughnut-makingprocess.(Thenewmachinesmake800dozendoughnutsanhour--morethantentimesasmanyastheRingKingJr.--butstillusethesecretformulaanddoughnutmixesshippedfromWinston-Salem.)Dunkin'DonutshasstoresintwiceasmanystatesasKrispyKreme,andin37othercountries,andsellsnearlyfivetimesasmanydoughnutsworldwide.IntheUnitedStatesalone,about10billiondoughnutsaremadeeveryyear,amere1.1billionbyKrispyKreme.SmallwonderoneseesreprintsofRobertMcCloskey'sfamouschildren'sbookHomerPrice,inwhichamajorfigureisadoughnut-makingmachinethatrunsamok. Doughnutconsumptionfiguresdonotencouragenutritionists,wholiketopointoutthattheaveragedoughnutcancarrya300-caloriewallop,notablemainlyforitssugarandfat.Infact,arecentissueoftheNewEnglandJournalofMedicinebemoanedtheunsaturatedfatpurveyedbytheglazeddoughnut.Famouschefsgenerallydeplorethedoughnut.Butneithersciencenorculinaryscornnoroutrightscoldingdetersdevotees,whovariouslydescribeKrispyKreme'shot"originalglazed"doughnutwithtermslike"angelic"oreven"sugar-coatedair." DavidShaytisoneofthecollectionsmanagersinchargeoftheSmithsonian'songoing(andneverending)efforttoacquireforthefuturesignificantartifactsfromAmericantechnologyandculture,sothatthefuturewillhaveapermanentrecord.Forhimandhiscolleagues,theoldRingKingJr.,thoughitisnowretiredtostorage,isassignificantasaColonialcast-ironcookingpotalsointheSmithsoniancollection,onlymorecomplex.ShaytispleasedthattheInstitutionalsohasinstoragefouremptypapersackseachlabeledwiththeproperingredientsforKrispyKremedoughnuts."In800years,ifAmericashouldlosetheartofmakingdoughnuts,"hesays,"wecouldhelpreconstructhowtodoit."Maybeso.ButtodatenobodybutKrispyKremehasJoeLeBeau'ssecretrecipe.ThatstayslockedupinasafeinWinston-Salem. DavidA.Taylor |READMORE DavidA.TayloristheauthorofCorkWars:IntrigueandIndustryinWorldWarII.Followhim@dataylor1. Americana RecommendedVideos PostaComment MostPopular TheTrueHistoryBehindNetflix's'Blonde' This10-Year-OldBoyMakesArtThatSellsforOver$100,000 ABriefHistoryoftheSalemWitchTrials StunningFacialReconstructionsResurrectaTrioofMedievalScots TheRealHistoryBehind'TheWomanKing'