Fun Facts About Donuts

Take a look at these delightful fun facts about donuts!

Donuts (or doughnuts) are a delicious sweet treat made of fried dough. 

Doughnuts are typically deep-fried in oil and either ring-shaped with a hole or made without a hole. 

Oftentimes the donuts without holes are filled with a tasty cream or yummy jelly. 

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There are many other types and flavors of doughnuts available all over the world. 

They have become a popular treat wherever you are. 

In fact, over 10 billion donuts are baked every year in just the United States alone!  Wow!  

What other interesting facts are there about the delicious donut?  Let’s see!

Donut Facts for Kids

Donuts Were Once Called Olykoeks

When donuts were first brought to America, they were called olykoeks.  Olykoeks?  What a silly name. 

Olykoek actually means ‘oily cake’ in Dutch, which is pretty much what a donut used to be. 

Old fashioned doughnuts were balls of cake that were fried in pork fat.  Amazing!

Donuts Didn’t Always Have Holes

Donuts today have a hole in the center, but it wasn’t always that way. 

The original donuts didn’t have holes as they were just fried balls of dough. 

However, it was common for the center not to be cooked all the way through after cooking. 

First, nuts were stuffed into the middle of the donut (where the name doughnut comes from) to take away from the uncooked center. 

Then another alternative to the gooey center was to eliminate it altogether. 

So, a hole was poked out of the middle which helped the donuts fry more evenly.   

Celebrate Donuts Twice a Year

The first Friday of every June is National Donut Day. 

This delicious day began back in 1938 to recognize the “Doughnut Lassies”. 

Doughnut Lassies are women who would hand out free donuts to the American troops who served during WWI. 

Incredible!  Another day that is to honor the fantastic fried treat is National Doughnut Appreciation Day, which is celebrated annually on November 5.

Donuts are a Popular Holiday Treat

There are two holidays in particular that are enjoyed with donuts.  The first is Halloween. 

It has been a long time tradition to bob for donuts on a string before trick-or-treating. 

Is this something you have done before?  The second holiday is New Year’s Eve. 

The German Americans believe that eating a jelly donut on New Year’s Eve will bring good luck for the upcoming year. 

Well, it’s worth a shot, right?

The Most Expensive Donut Costs $100

Yes, you read that right!  $100 for a donut.  Why is it so expensive? 

Well, it is made of edible diamonds, chocolate balsamic vinegar, and a few other top-of-the-line secret ingredients. 

To complete this pricey donut, it is coated in an edible 24K gold leaf and served in a fancy box with a ribbon.  Wow!

For a less pricey version, try your hand at making your own with these fun printable donut playdough cards!

The Largest Donut Bakery is in Pennsylvania

Entenmann’s Bakery in Carlisle, PA is the largest baker of donuts in the United States. 

It makes about 100,000 donuts every hour, which is roughly 15 million a week! 

Entenmann’s has baked well over 4 billion donuts since it opened. 

Now, that is a lot of donuts!

Incredible FUN Facts About Donuts

Donuts have been around for quite some time and through the years, they have come a long way since olykoeks. 

Adding holes and serving them up with a variety of different toppings and fillings make them something everyone can enjoy. 

From a plain glazed donut to a fancy golden donut, there is definitely a donut for everyone! 

What’s your favorite kind of donut?

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