When it comes down to it, donuts have to be one of the best foods in the world. Not only is it a perfect breakfast treat to pair with your coffee, but it’s fried, it’s got tons of sugar, and it’s eaten all over the world. In fact, Americans alone eat approximately 10 billion donuts each year!
Read on as tripatlas.com/new brings you the best donuts of the world! Now, we’re not talking about the international rise of the Dunkin’ Donuts empire. What I’m talking about are fritoles, ustipicis, langos, krapfens, or beignets – a few of the world’s best donuts, and where you can find them all ove the world.
Get more fun food tidbits from all over the world: the Top 5 Most Expensive Pizzas in the World; the 5 Oddest Eating Contests in the World; or find out about the the best ham in the world in Hamming it Up in Barcelona at Jamonisimo.
Best donuts of the world!
When you’re in Italy, a donut is called a fritole. Fritoles are fritters with bits of raisin, pine nuts, and topped with icing sugar. They come from the Veneto region of Italy, where the canals of Venice reside. The best time and place to find fritoles is during Carnival in Venice.
Travelling in Turkey? Then get a lokma. In Turkey, these are bite-sized fried balls of dough which are usually dipped in honey and cinnamon You can get them at food carts and street vendors in most large Turkish cities like Istanbul. They were originally served at the courts of Turkish royalty and sultans but today are also traditionally served during religious festivals and given to the poor during funerals. Neighbouring Greece also brings you a similar donut, called loukoumades.
When you’re visiting Montenegro, a donut is called a ustipci. Ustipci are traditionally served on Saint’s Days. They’re fritters which are served hot with cheese, honey, jam or marmalade.
For your adventures in France, donuts are known as beignets. Beignets are a general term for any pastries involving deep-friend dough. Breakfast beignets are usually filled with fruit or served plain with icing sugar. Savory beignets are filled with vegetables, meats, and etc.
When taking a vacation in Mexico or Spain, order a churro. This fried treat is to be eaten for dessert or for breakfast with coffee or hot chocolate when you’re in Mexico, Spain and other Latin American countries Unlike other types of donuts, churros are long slightly ridged, curved pieces of fried dough which are named after the horns of sheep. The batter is inserted in a star-shaped syringe which is squeezed into the deep fryer. In Spain, the best churros are found in Madrid, usually topped with chocolate and icing sugar. Served straight or curved into a loop like a pretzel, churros filled with dulce de leche, fruit, chocolate, or vanilla can be found in Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile.
To Germany you go? A donut is a krapfen. A truly rich and savoury donut, the German krapfen (sometimes called “berliner” or pancakes) is a full donut (no holes in the middle!) usually filled with jam and topped with icing sugar. You can also get krapfens filled with chocolate, champagne, custard or mocha.
Similarly in Brazil, you can find donuts or sonhos. They’re filled with a yellow cream which is a mix of milk jam or chocolate and are best had in Rio de Janeiro.
Hungry for a donut in Hungary? Go for a langos. Also called krumplislangos or langosh, these donuts are made of potato dough that have been fried in lard. They’re finished with a rubbing of fresh garlic and sometimes topped with gruyere or emmenthaler cheese, sour cream, or powdered sugar. You can find langos at most fast food restaurants in both Hungary and Austria.
Get a balushahi for an Indian version of a donut. A basic balushahi is made of flour, sugar, and ghee – an Indian clarified butter. Once the batter is shaped into small balls with a small indent in the middle to look like mini-donuts, they’re fried in hot ghee, dipped in sugar syrup, and sometimes topped with pistachios and other nuts or spices like cardamom. Find these in many bakeries all over India.
Visiting Poland? Then go for a paczki. Similar to a jelly donut, the paczki has no holes but unlike the jelly donut, the dough is one of the richest of all the donuts around. Made out of eggs, fat, sugar, and milk, they’re filled with fruit, creme, jams, custards and topped with sugar or icing sugar. Traditionally, these are eaten before Lent begins.
If you’re taking a trip in the Netherlands, order a oliebollen! Oliebollen are said to have been given to the Netherlands by Germanic tribes during the Yule season. So today, they are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve at at fairs or carnivals. An oliebol is a deep fried sphere-shaped donut. Nicknamed “lard balls” or smoutebollen in Belgium, they sometimes contain currants, raisins or other small pieces of fruit, and are topped with powdered sugar.
Had enough of Dunkin’ in the USA? Go for a Psycho Donut or a Voodoo Donut. Sold in Campbell, California near San Jose, Psycho Donuts bring American donuts to another level. Donuts like the Cereal Killer (donut topped with Fruit Loops and icing) and S’moreos (donut topped with oreos and graham crackers) are all the rage. Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon bring you vegan donuts, not to mention the No Name donut (donuts covered with chocolate rice crispys with peanutbutter); the Memphis Mafia donut (donut topped with chocolate chips, bananas, peanut butter and tons of glaze); or the Triple Chocolate Penetration donut (chocolate donut with chocolate glaze and topped with cocoa puffs).
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