Doughnuts are always a popular thing to contemplate. There are many opportunities to buy a doughnut from so many outlets. You can hardly drive down a road or walk down the street without bumping into one. With so many choices, we sometimes might take the old doughnut for granted. Have we ever thought about where the humble doughnut originated. There are many theories and legends about doughnuts, but after much research and investigation we can point to one place with certainty about the origins of the modern day doughnut.
There may have been some efforts by bakers and fakers in ancient and medieval time, but we need to look to 19th century Prussia for the modern day doughnut to come out of the fryer.
Otto von Bismarck had become the Prime Minister of Prussia. He and his emperor, Wilhelm I, each had well developed sweet tooths. Otto had spent time in Paris as an ambassador and became well known around the pastry shops of Paris. When he was called home by Wilhelm, Otto tried to fill a couple suitcases with the finest pastries of Paris, but of course by the time his luggage made it home to Berlin, the bags were just full of sweet mush. Otto was determined to recreate the delights of the Paris bakeries. Unfortunately, he didnt have a lot of time to experiment with the desserts because he was busy organizing the Prussian state and fighting a couple of wars. Wilhelm was getting impatient with Otto, on the pastry front as well as with his diplomacy.
Finally in 1867 he was able to arrange the North German Confederation and the Prussians were off to the races. To honor Otto, his kuchen madchens came up with a celebratory treat. It was a doughy, deep fried delicacy filled with a variety of fresh jams or jellies. In his honor they named it the Otto! Bismarck thought it was a little too familiar and pedestrian. The von Bismarck was too pretentious even for the big O. He told the ladies that they would call it forthwith…a Bismarck! So history was made. The Kaiser was delighted and Otto was delirious. Prussia was not only successfully rolling up the middle of Europe, but they also had invented a new dessert in honor of the conquering prime minister.
As time went on, Bismarck was to enjoy many more victories, culminating in the defeat of France in 1880. (The battle of Sedan, which finished off the French, may also had some historic significance on other fronts.) He celebrated that night with a dozen bismarcks, washed down with a couple bottles of French Champagne. Unfortunately for Otto, Mrs. Bismarck was watching in alarm as Otto’s stomach was expanding as fast as the borders of Prussia. She gave Otto his marching orders, no more bismarcks until he lost some weight. Well, Otto did not become Chancellor of Prussia by luck. He decided to spend some late nights in the kitchen with the madchens to come up with something new. They finally came up with a successful design. They took a bismarck and cut out the middle and when the circle came out of the fryer, they they decorated the circle with sugar or frosting. This device was credited to Helga Doornitz the head kuchen madchen. Otto was elated, he had a substitute for his bismarck. He could polish these off at his leisure and truthfully tell his wife that he no longer ate bismarcks. He was only eating his Doornitz. Since Mrs. B. rarely was seen in the kitchen, Otto was able to pull off this last bit of trickery in spite of her.
Sadly for Otto von B. his string of successes soon came to an end. His emperor with the sweet tooth, Wilhelm I, was to die in 1888. His son W the deuce, was more of a meat and potatoes guy. He was not impressed with Otto’s dexterity with the desserts. Also, the elections in Prussia turned against Otto. He had to resign his position and retire to his estate to write his memoirs. He had to hire a secretary to transcribe his memoirs because Otto always had sticky fingers from the consumption of his beloved doornitz. The recipes for the Doornitz was smuggled out of the country to the new world and due to copyright worries, were Americanized to the more familiar “doughnuts” by a baker from Otto’s estate, by name of Stanley Paczke. Stanley then decided to rename the Bismarcks, and took all the credit for that, when he put his own moniker on the former Bismarcks. Which is part of another story which we celebrate on Fat Tuesday.
Another factual story, that you will not find in any history books or anywhere else on the old www, only here will you learn it, better than most reality shows on the cable. too.
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