We love a national foodie holiday here at dealchecker, so when we heard about National Doughnut Week we just couldn’t contain our excitement. To celebrate this wonderful time we have searched high and low and have found the world’s best doughnut variations for you all to try!
Buñuelos from South America
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A buñuelo is a small fried dough ball and is a popular treat throughout South America. Often flavoured with aniseed and then finished with a sweet topping, buñuelos are often seen as a symbol of good luck. They can be filled with a variety of things, both savoury or sweet, however sweet is usually the preferred option for these tasty little treats.
Zeppole from Italy
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Typically found in Rome and Naples, zeppole is an Italian pastry usually topped with powdered sugar and filled with custard, jelly, cream or a honey and butter mixture. The deep-fried dough ball is normally quite light and fluffy, however, it can sometimes be more dense and resemble the texture of bread or pasta.
Sel Roti from Nepal
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Mostly prepared during Dashain and Tihar, widely celebrated Hindu festivals in Nepal, sel roti is a traditional homemade sweet made with rice flour. Shaped in a ring, the doughnut is made with a variety of ingredients including cardamom, cloves and bananas, to name a few. The mixture is then stirred, shaped and deep-fried in oil or ghee.
Schneeballen from Germany
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Translating as snowball in English, Germany‘s schneeball is a sweet treat made of shortcrust pastry. Its name comes from its round, ball-like shape and its traditional decoration of icing sugar. Beside the classic schneeball dusted with sugar, there are also many other recipes which include chocolate and nut coatings and even the addition of marzipan.
Jalebi from South and West Asia
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Also known as zulbia, jalebi is a sweet popular in both south and west Asia as well as in many north African countries. Wheat flour batter is deep-fried in circular shapes and soaked in a sugar syrup. The doughnut-like treats can be served both hot or cold and have a chewy consistency in the middle, with a crystallised sugary shell.
Langos from Hungary
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Possibly the strangest doughnut variety on this list is langos from Hungary. This fried flatbread is usually served warm and is commonly eaten with sour cream and grated cheese on top and sometimes a selection of meats. Although traditionally a savoury delicacy, sugar or jam are occasionally used instead as a special treat.
Oliebol from The Netherlands and Belgium
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Known as oliebollen in The Netherlands and as smoutebollen in Belgium, these dough balls are a deep-fried variety of a dumpling or doughnut. In addition to the dough mixture, sultanas, currants, raisins, zest and candied fruit are sometimes thrown in too. The doughnuts are often topped with powdered sugar before being eaten.
Youtiao from China
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Youtiao, also known as Chinese doughnuts, are long golden-brown strips of slightly salted dough that have been deep-fried until crispy. These doughnuts are normally eaten for breakfast by the people of China and are often served alongside porridge, soy milk, scallion pancakes or steamed sticky rice.
Pączki from Poland
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Very similar to the doughnuts we know and love, pączki are Poland‘s invention. Deep-fried spheres of dough filled with a sweet filling and usually covered with powdered sugar or icing. They can also sometimes come with dried bits of orange zest on top of them for an additional bit of sweetness.
Churros from Spain
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Usually made from deep-fried choux pastry, churros are a doughnut variety from Spain that we have grown to love here in the UK. Sometimes thin, sometimes thick and sometimes knotted, churros come in many different forms and are traditionally served with either a chocolate or dulce de leche dip after being coated in a cinnamon flavoured sugar.
Loukoumades from Greece
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Known as lokma in Turkey and loukmades in Cyprus, loukoumades are balls of fried pastry dough that are then soaked in either syrup, chocolate sauce, or honey with cinnamon – the latter being the most traditional option in Greece. Sometimes sprinkled with a little sesame, these light and fluffy pastries are a common dessert choice in many Greek locations.
