In the midst of the First World War, Salvation Army volunteers in France found themselves stymied by inadequate supplies and a lack of proper ovens for baking. Unable to prepare the cakes and pies they so dearly wanted to make for the troops, they came up with a novel idea: frying the dough instead of baking it.
Two Salvation Army volunteers—Ensign Stella Young and Adjutant Helen Purviance – devised the plan to provide doughnuts. Their ingenuity led to the appearance of the world’s first fried doughnut on a World War I front on October 19, 1917.
The doughnut should not be confused with the bagel, despite their similar appearance. The bagel is boiled and baked, whereas the doughnut is fried (though sometimes baked).
Bagels come in varieties such as onion, garlic, salt, poppy seed, and sesame seed, and are frequently enjoyed with cheese and fish.
Doughnuts, on the other hand, are found in varieties such as glazed, chocolate, chocolate-frosted, strawberry-frosted, powdered, jelly-filled, and sprinkled.
They are rarely eaten with cheese or fish, but they do go exceptionally well with coffee (or tea).
And so it goes
The Haus of Dcaligari 