National Doughnut Day !
F
or those of us who prefer
our blood sugar to remain
relatively stable, doughnuts
are an occasional treat—
nutritionally bankrupt but delicious
fried dough laced with flavors from
chocolate to bacon. You might even
choose to indulge only in honor of
National Doughnut Day, observed
the first Friday of every June. cataloged several fringe holidays
for his site Foodimentary, mentions
of the November Doughnut Day
could be found as early as the
1930s in copies of Ladies’ Home
Journal. Hopkins speculated that the
November 5 date is close enough to
Veterans Day on November 11 that
a retail outlet likely introduced the
date to acknowledge their service.
Curiously, a second National
Doughnut Day pops up just five
months later, on November 5. We
don’t have two Thanksgivings,
two Halloweens, or even two
National Hot Dog Days. So why do
doughnuts get to claim two dates? But which date do the major
doughnut industry forces recognize?
Entenmann’s tells us they don’t
participate in November 5 celebrations.
In a statement, a Dunkin’
Donuts spokesperson said:
Day which is traditionally celebrated
on the first Friday of June, and
originally established in 1938 to
honor the women who served donuts
to soldiers during World War I.”
Krispy Kreme likes to remain the
Switzerland of doughnut delegating,
having been known to give doughnuts
away on both dates. But considering
June’s date has a proven—and noble—
lineage, you might want to side with
Dunkin’ and consider it the more
official of the two holidays. And if
you manage to miss both days, don’t
be concerned: June 8 is National
Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day, and
National Cream-Filled Doughnut
Day lands on September 14.
It helps to know how the June date “We celebrate National Doughnut
originated: During World War I, During WWI, Salvation Army volunteers traveled overseas to set up service huts
volunteers who wanted to support located in abandoned buildings near front lines where they served baked goods.
troops were charged with preparing
food to deliver to soldiers on the
front lines in France. The Salvation
Army dispatched over 250 women
there, who found that battle-tested
helmets were perfect for frying
up to seven doughnuts at a time.
In 1938, the Salvation Army
decided to honor these proclaimed
“doughnut lassies” by recognizing
an annual pastry holiday that
could also raise awareness (and
money) for their charitable efforts.
National Doughnut Day was born.
Its calendar doppelgänger is harder
to trace. According to food holiday
historian John Bryan Hopkins, who
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
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JUNE 2018