donut mag san diego’s cravings enabler
the igin don
orn of nuts what’s your favorite donut?
as well as the how and why their rise to fame in pop culture
Of course donuts in some form or other have been around so long that archaeologists keep turning up fossilized bits of what look like donuts in the middens of prehistoric Native American settlements. But the donut proper supposedly came to Manhattan (then still New Amsterdam) under the unappetizing Dutch name of olykoeks—”oily cakes.”
Fast-forward to the mid-19th century and Elizabeth Gregory, a New England ship captain’s mother who made a wicked deep-fried dough that cleverly used her son’s spice cargo of nutmeg and cinnamon, along with lemon rind. Some say she made it so son Hanson and his crew could store a pastry on long voyages, one that might help ward off scurvy. In any case, Mrs. Gregory put hazelnuts or walnuts in the center, where the dough might not cook through, and in a literal–minded way called them donuts. Her son always claimed credit for something less than that: putting the hole in the donut. Some cynical donut historians maintain that Captain Gregory did it to stint on ingredients, others that he thought the hole might make the whole easier to digest. Still others say that he gave the donut its shape when, needing to keep both hands on the wheel in a storm, he skewered one of his mom’s donuts on a spoke of his ship’s wheel.
Donuts didn’t come into their own until World War I, when millions of homesick American doughboys met millions of donuts in the trenches of France. They were served up by women volunteers who even brought them to the front lines to give soldiers a tasty touch of home. When the doughboys came back from the war they had a natural yearn for more donuts.
The first donut machine did not come until 1920, when in New York City, Adolph Levitt, an enterprising refugee from czarist Russia, began selling fried donuts from his bakery. When hungry theater crowds pushed him to make a gadget that churned out the tasty rings faster; he did. Levitt’s donut machine was the first sign that the donut, till then merely a taste sensation, could, in production, become a public spectacle. There before spectators was a circle of dough, shaped in a perfect ring and about the diameter of a baseball. It then drops into a vat of boiling oil, circulated, then turned over to brown on the other side,
and emerges from the oil on a moving ramp, one by one like ducks in a row.
By the 1934 World’s Fair in Chicago, donuts were poster material, billed as “the food hit of the Century of Progress.” Seeing them produced “automatically” somehow made them part of the wave of the future. A donut cost less than a nickel, well within reach of all of the Great Depression’s victims. They were the standard, base, and beloved snack of the common man, a tradition that has continued to this day. In 1937 young Vernon and two friends found themselves in Winston–Salem, North Carolina, with just $25 between them. They borrowed ingredients (potatoes, sugar and milk) from a kindly grocer, stripped down to survive the heat of baking in July, and emerged with a fresh batch of Krispy Kremes, which they delivered in their 1936 Pontiac.
By the late 1950s, in 29 Krispy Kreme store-factories in 12 states, individual Ring Kings like the Smithsonian’s model were turning out something like 75 dozen donuts an hour. They faced stiff competition. Dunkin’ Donuts, started in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950, has been flourishing ever since. By the early 1980s, the Ring King Jr. was obsolete; a fond memory for donut aficionados, it was replaced by newer and more elaborate equipment. Sadly, for a while there, the donut itself seemed to be going into decline, especially in New York where it was being challenged by the more urbane bagel. But my friends and I, donut–deprived college students in a small North Carolina town, thought nothing of a 20-mile journey to Charlotte at 1 A.M. for solace: coffee steaming on the counter, the usual night owl clientele, and fresh Krispy Kreme donuts. Nowadays, the redoubtable donut, made by Krispy Kreme and others, is riding high. Krispy Kreme stores, long best known in the South, are spreading North and West, and sales climbed 20 percent in 1997. Last February, the New Yorker described the Manhattan donut store as a “shrine” and once more detailed the infamous and timeless donut-making process.
Donut consumption figures do not encourage nutritionists, who like to point out that the average donut can carry a 300 calorie wallop, notable mainly for its sugar and fat. In fact, a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine bemoaned the unsaturated fat purveyed by the glazed donut. Famous chefs generally deplore the donut. But neither science nor culinary scorn nor outright scolding deters devotees, who variously describe Krispy Kreme’s hot “original glazed” donut with terms like “angelic” or even “sugar-coated air.”
David Shayt is one of the collections managers in charge of the Smithsonian’s ongoing (and never ending) effort to acquire for the future significant artifacts from American technology and culture, so that the future will have a permanent record. For him and his colleagues, the old Ring King Jr., though it is now retired to storage, is as significant as a Colonial cast iron cooking pot also in the Smithsonian collection, only more complex. Shayt is pleased that the Institution also has in storage four empty paper sacks each labeled with the proper ingredients for Krispy Kreme donuts. “In 800 years, if America should lose the art of making donuts,” he says, “we could help reconstruct how to do it.” Maybe so. But to date nobody but Krispy Kreme has Joe LeBeau’s secret recipe. That stays locked up in a safe in Winston–Salem. Today, donuts are a staple of pop culture from Iron Man to Homer Simpson. In a 2013 study, studying the top cravings of the female population (ages 18-34), it was revealed that donuts are craved above any other food. Narrowly beating cake and chocolate and smashing pizza and salt. It is plainly obvious everyone loves donuts. The question is no longer “Do you like donuts?” instead it has become “What’s your favorite donut?” This is not just a massive step for the happiness for the culture, it’s a massive step for the incredible, simple, and marvelous donut.
so h righ now Nut Topped
French Crueler
This donut says “no.” to typical toppings, instead opting for the healthier option of nuts. However, this admirable goal is shattered due to the presence of chocolate icing. This donut is a temple to contradictions, sweet and salty, and it is extremely tasty.
This donut gives the term “international eater” an entirely new meaning. The ridges on its glazed exterior allow this donut to be light and fluffy while still carrying on the spirit of the hearty, working man’s breakfast.
Coconut
Red Velvet
If you are an individual who cannot wait for a later time in your day to eat coconut, look no further than this tropical donut. Covered in chocolate and shaved coconut, this is the mounds bar for breakfast you’ve been waiting for.
This donut turns the traditional cake donut on its head. The richness and panache of the red velvet shines brightly underneath a bed of strawberry icing. As if this bohemian expression of freedom was not enough, sprinkles are added on top
Old Fashioned
Bear Claw
If you think the classic glazed is just too mainstream, this donut is for you. Crispier and more heavily glazed than the standard, this donut will convince you and all your friends that you are by far the classiest.
This timeless donut, inspired by the claw of a bear, will undoubtedly give you the strength to fend off any such fiend. But, even without fighting any bears, one can still enjoy this delicious five fingered cinnamon donut.
hot ht w or at least all the good ones...
Classic Twist
This donut sees that you think it should be round, and laughs. Instead of its roundness, what it offers is a light and angelic interior with beautiful views on the exterior. If you mouth doesn’t eat it fast enough, your eyes will.
Strawberry Iced
Chocolate Oldie
This donut is unique to say the least. It boasts a brightly colored exterior and a dense cake interior. For those looking for a dash of fruit in their morning repast (without delving into the murky depths of jelly donuts), this is the answer.
This donut features a crispy and chocolate covered exterior that can convince even the biggest skeptic that you are the classiest individual alive. As well as enjoying this truly wonderful donut. Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
Maple Bacon Bar
This variation on the traditional long john is said to completely satisfy even the most hungry human. Most likely due to the bacon strip firmly attached to the icing. Whether large or small stomached, this donut is spectacularly good.
this wee sho OB Donuts
An icon of Ocean Beach, OB Donuts boasts an incredible location as well as astonishing donuts. The shop is nearly always busy which undoubtedly is due to the presence of free donut holes. Our panel was floored not only by the atmosphere, but also the by the quality of donuts. One member was quoted saying, “the inside of [my donut] is like a cloud.”
1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd San Diego, CA 92107
Christy’s Donuts Christy’s Donuts has become a staple for many in the Point Loma community. And rightly so. Christy’s Donuts possesses absolute buttery and flaky donut perfection. Our panel’s favorite was the impeccable cake donuts, and, of course, the “divine” glazed twist that our panel received fresh and still dripping glaze. Christy’s donuts was a strong contender for first place. However, the lack of free water cups sealed its fate as second place for our panel.
3710 Voltaire St San Diego, CA 92107
Donut Star
Located closer to downtown is Donut Star. Although a chain with locations all up and down the southern California coast, the shop has become a destination for many all over San Diego. Despite rave reviews, our panel found “the star” to be somewhat average and “blah.” Members were quoted saying, “can we leave?”
601 W Washington St San Diego, CA 92103
Marvelous Muffins
New to the Point Loma neighborhood is Marvelous Muffins. Despite the name, it has become a prime spot for early-rising donutseeking locals. However, our panel found the donuts to be somewhat underwhelming. In terms of selection, the other locations we reviewed had many more donuts. Now more isn’t always better, but with donuts, it always is. In terms of taste, some our panel left saying, “Tastes like your average donut” and “Not exactly ‘marvelous.’”
2907 Shelter Island Dr San Diego, CA 92106
Got a favorite donut around San Diego that’s too good not to share? Let us know at weekly@donutmag.com
s ek’s ops get out there and check ’em out!
See city-wide donut rankings as well as all our past donut reviews at donutmag.com
May 7-13 2017
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