During New Year’s Eve, it’s time for fireworks, friends and family, but also for Dutch fried doughnuts. Some people like to fry them themselves, others buy them at the bakery, the food truck or around the corner at the supermarket. Always wondered what the story was behind the Dutch fried doughnut? Want to know what to pay attention to when frying your own doughnuts? Or maybe you’d like a tip about where to buy the best Dutch fried doughnuts. Then keep reading!
There are a lot of different stories concerning the history of the Dutch fried doughnut. It appears that the Dutch fried doughnut comes from the Dutch fried cake. The oldest story says that the fried cake was made from food that was covered with flour and then fried in oil. The fried cake was meant as protection against the sword of the goddess Perchta. Eating this greasy treat would ensure that her sword would glide away from your body if she tried to cut you open.
Another story is that in the Middle Ages fried cakes were eaten to end the fasting period that began with St. Martin on November 11, and ended on Christmas.
The ingredients of fried doughnuts are sustainable and contain a lot of fat and calories, which made it a suitable food for the winter.
From the seventeenth century, the quality of the oil improved and new techniques were developed for the preparation of the fried cake. In the end, the fried cake became a fried doughnut. Today, this ball-like delicacy can no longer be ignored around the new year.
Currently, there are plenty of recipes for the preparation of Dutch fried doughnuts. It all begins with the ingredients. These consist almost exclusively of flour, milk, butter, white caster sugar, eggs, yeast, deep-frying oil and salt. Raisins, currants or pieces of apple are delicious additions to the batter. When being served, the fried doughnut is often sprinkled with powdered sugar. Everyone who bakes these fried doughnuts, whether hobbyist or professional, has his own secret tips regarding ingredients, preparation and/or frying, which makes for variations in the Dutch fried doughnuts.
On a food safety level, it is important to keep an eye on the quality of the frying fat or oil. In the Commodities Act for the preparation and treatment of food (WBBL), Article 9, paragraph 1, it states that the content of dimeric and polymeric triglycerides (DPTG content) must remain below 16%3. Fat particles present in the frying fat or oil are broken down at high temperatures. The broken-down fat particles bind to other present particles and thus long chains are created. This process is called polymerisation. The DPTG levels can be determined through a chemical analysis. It is also possible to measure the polar particles, and convert this into the DPTG levels.
For the occasional fried doughnut baker among us, it is very important to regularly replace the frying oil. Pay attention to the colour of the oil or fat, the forming of bubbles in the oil or fat and the odour.