Doughnuts Around the World

Wouldn't it be wonderful traveling from country to country waking up every morning with some hot coffee and a fresh and new doughnut? It would be difficult to do but you can read about the kinds of doughnuts that are made in various countries and then dream about this delicious, sugary treat.

Europe

Beignets come originally from France but these tempting golden fried fluffy squares of dough have been adopted by the US state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans. They've become a New Orleans tradition and come dusted with powdered sugar.

Crullers are golden fried twisted pastries that can now be found all over Europe but began in France as French Crullers. Their ring-shaped doughnuts made out of choux pastry and topped with a sugary glaze.

Berliners are also referred to as bismarcks and they come from Germany, Their puffed up rounds of dough are filled with jam, cream, or chocolate and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Fanks come from Hungary and this delectable sweet treat is flavored with rum. These have no hole in them, are filled with thick jam, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Faschingskrapfens hail from Austria and are similar to Berliners. These are round balls of fried dough that have been filled with jam or custard. In translation, they mean "little carnival cakes" and traditionally are served during St. Joseph's Day.

Filhos come from Portugal and are small yeasty dough balls that are left to rise before deep frying, They are sprinkled with a mix of sugar and cinnamon.

Fritelles or Fritoles come from Italy and are Venetian doughnuts that are only served at Carnival, There are different kinds such as Fritelle Venetziane with pine nuts and raisins in the dough. In other variations, they are filled with cream, apples, or chocolate.

Bombolones are also from Italy and are filled doughnuts originating from Tuscany. These delectable treats are filled with thick cream custard, jam, or marmalade. They're sprinkled with granular sugar.

Fritules come from Croatia. These sweet treats are similar to the Venetian firtelles and the Dutch olie boliens. The difference is that they are flavored with citrus zest and rum.

Gogosis originated in Romania. These are round dough spheres that are deep-fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. These treats are filled with jam, chocolate syrup, or at times even cheese. It is thought that these date back to Roman times.

Churros can be found all over the world but these ridged, flute shaped doughnuts originated in Spain. Later they found popularity in Latin America. They are deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and can be filled with jam or dulce de leche, which is a confectionary from Latin America.

Krofnes come from Central Europe. These are filled with custard, cream, jam, marmalade, or chocolate. They are popular in countries like Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia. Also made especially for the annual Winter Carnaval, New Year's Day, and other holidays.

In Turkey, these are called Lokmas and in Greece Loukoumades. These are delectable deep-fried dough balls that are coated in thick honey or syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Malasadas are Portuguese doughnuts. They are round with fried eggy dough and then sprinkled with sugar. Their traditionally eaten the day before Lent and have become popular in the US state of Hawaii.

Ollie boliens come from the Netherlands and they translate to "oil balls." These are sweet deep-fried doughnuts that look like dumplings and are filled with nuts or raisins, They are sprinkled with powdered sugar. Mostly sold during the cold winter months.

From Poland, we have Paczkis that are sweet treats that have been around since the Middle Ages. These are round doughnuts filled with jam and made with grain alcohol, preventing the absorption of oil so they remain light and spongy, In the US in cities with a Polish population these are eaten on Fat Tuesday.

Pampushkas are from Ukraine. These are small yeasty doughnuts that can be either fried or baked. As sweet treats, they are filled with preserves or fruit and can also be savory and topped with garlic sauce.

Asia

An-doughnuts from Japan are made with fried dough that is filled with a red bean paste.

Balushahis are popular in North India as well as Pakistan and Nepal. The dough is made with yoghurt and fried in glee. After they are soaked in syrup giving them a moist, sugary center and a flaky exterior.

Kuih keris come from Indonesia, These are sugar-coated, fried, sweet potato doughnuts. The sweet potatoes are mixed with flour, then laced with granulated sugar and covered with a variety of ingredients.

Sel Rotis are from Nepal and known as "sweet rice bread" They are made for special celebrations. They are crunchy doughnuts.

Africa

From North Africa we have Sfenjs. These are light and spongy Maghrebi doughnuts. Their name derives from the Arabic word for sponge (safanj). These are made without sugar and can be eaten plain or sprinkled with sugar or soaked in honey.

Puff Puffs are found in various African countries. These sweet treats are made with deep-fried dough and rolled in sugar and spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. There are different varieties and can be served with a fruit dip.

Vitumbuwas come from East African Swahili, These sweet treats are made with rice flour and coconut and deep-fried. This melt in your mouth treat is usually eaten at breakfast.

Koeksisters come from South Africa, There are long breaded cakes that are deep-fried and soaked in cold sweet syrup with cinnamon, ginger, dried tangerine, aniseed, and lemon, They can also be coated with coconut.