Saturday, November 05, 2011

Crullers or Twisters in honor of Doughnut Appreciation Day

Chocolate Cruller Doughnut
November 5 is Doughnut Appreciation Day so I felt I couldn't let this day pass without talking about crullers; one of the most popular holiday donuts/doughnuts known world wide. This doughnut is popular topped in chocolate but I for one love the French crullers without chocolate but dipped in a sugar glaze coating. I will include a recipe in the next post ok.

A cruller, or twister, is a twisted and usually ring-shaped fried pastry. It is traditionally made of dough somewhat like that of a cake doughnut, often topped with plain powdered sugar; powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon; or icing. A French cruller is a fluted, ring-shaped doughnut made from choux pastry with a light airy texture.

Celebration Food: The name comes from early 19th century Dutch kruller, from krullen "to curl". Crullers are traditionally eaten in Germany and some other European countries on Shrove Tuesday, to use up fat before Lent. In Danish they are knowns as "Klejner" and in Swedish as "Klenäter", both names deriving from Low German. In Scandinavia crullers are common at Christmas.

Crullers are most commonly found in Canada, New England and the Mid-Atlantic and North Central states of the USA, but are also common in California. The German origin is probably why traditional crullers can be found more easily in the Midwest, where many German immigrants settled. Some family-owned bakeries still call them "krullers." In other parts of the U.S., crullers may be called "dunking sticks" or simply "sticks."

In 2003, the Dunkin' Donuts chain of doughnut shops stopped carrying traditional crullers, claiming that the hand-shaped treats were too labor-intensive, and couldn't be simulated with new machines for mixing doughnut batter. They still sell "French Crullers." Tim Hortons, Honey Dew Donuts, and Krispy Kreme still sell the Cruller. (wikipedia links)
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