| Jelly doughnut | |
| Alternate Name: | Jam doughnut |
| Country: | Germany |
| Course: | Dessert |
| Type: | Doughnut |
| Variations: | Berliner, sufganiyot, bomboloni, krafne, pączki |
A jelly doughnut, or jam donut,[1] is a doughnut with a fruit preserve filling.
Varieties include the German Berliner, the Polish pączki, the Israeli sufganiyot, the Southern European krafne and the Italian bombolone.
The first record of a jelly doughnut appeared in a German cookbook published in 1485. It is uncertain whether or not that was the precise date of the jelly doughnut's invention. Known then as Gefüllte Krapfen, it spread throughout Europe over the next century, sometimes with other fillings considering sugar and jelly was sparsely found at the time, but Caribbean sugar plantations made both more widely available.[2]
Hot jam doughnuts are popular all over Victoria. They can be found at fairs and markets, and they are commonly sold out of food trucks. They are similar to traditional German and American jelly doughnuts, but with more yeast in the dough and always served very hot.[3] They are served so warm that it is common for consumers to burn their tongue on the jam.[4]
A 1942 headline in the Hartford Courant Of Connecticut reported that "Jelly Doughnut Diets Harmful to War Effort."[5] A 1976 Los Angeles Times story explains how to make jelly doughnuts from scratch for a "tasty after-school" snack for youngsters.[6]
In a 1997 taste test, Ruth Reichl graded jelly doughnuts from a local doughnut shop higher than ones from national chain doughnut shops.[7]
Jelly- or custard-filled doughnuts are known as sufganiyot in Hebrew and are a popular Hanukkah treat. They are cooked in oil which is in keeping with the theme of the holiday, celebrating one day's worth of oil "keeping a sacred lamp alight for eight."[8] [9]