Donuts have been popular for much, much longer than you probably think. In fact, fossilized bits of items that look like donuts appear in the middens of prehistoric Native American settlements. They made an appearance on pirate ships, became popular with American soldiers stationed in France during World War I, and were featured on posters for the 1934 World’s Fair as “the food hit of the Century of Progress.”** We’re just glazing over the long and varied history of the donut - there’s a “hole” lot more to discover if food history is your thing.

These fried nuggets of joy have long been an affordable decadence for Americans. The last 10 years have seen an uptick in the premiumization and customization of donuts. It’s not uncommon to find donuts that are vegan or gluten-free, feature local produce or artisan toppings, or all of the above. The donut has become a blank canvas, adaptable to the season, a baker’s creativity, and market demands.

We’ll go straight to authority on this one: Merriam-Webster declares that either is correct, and while “donut” was almost exclusive to the U.S. at one time, it has made its way around the world and both spellings can be seen everywhere.

The original spelling is, of course, “doughnut,” and “donut” is merely a simplification of this. It’s rumored that the spelling became mainstream in the late 20th century with the advent of Dunkin’ Donuts, though they’ve since dropped the “Donuts.”**