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Cruller

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"Krüller" redirects here. For Author & Punisher album, see Krüller (album).

Cruller
Iced "cinnamon twist" cruller
Alternative namesTwister
TypePastry/Doughnut

A cruller (/ˈkrʌlər/) is a deep-fried pastry popular in parts of Europe and North America. In Europe it is typically either made of a string of dough that is folded over and twisted twice to create its signature shape or is formed from a rectangle of dough with a cut in the center allowing it to be pulled over and through itself to produce distinctive twists in the sides of the pastry. In North America, it is typically a form of cake doughnut made in a small loaf or simple stick shape or, in the case of the "French cruller", extruded in a ring from choux pastry.

Crullers are typically topped with cinnamon sugar, dipped in plain icing, or served plain.

History

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A handmade Danish klejne, a traditional cruller shape, rectangular with two twisted sides

The name cruller comes from the early 19th-century Dutch kruller, from krullen 'to curl'. In northern Germany they are known as hirschhörner ('deer horns'). In Scandinavia, these types of crullers are common at Christmas. They are traditionally baked on New Year's Eve as a family project, with the children doing the labor-intensive shaping and the grown-ups handling the deep frying.[citation needed] In Danish they are known as klejner and in Swedish as klenäter, both names deriving from Low German.

In the United States, crullers were introduced in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers, and became popular in regions with large German populations.[1] The Milwaukee-style cruller, for example, is a loaf-shaped glazed cake doughnut with a crunchy exterior.[2][3]

The term "Chinese cruller" is occasionally applied to the youtiao (Chinese: 油条), a similar-looking fried dough food eaten in East and Southeast Asia.[1][4] The term cruller is also associated with the mahua (Chinese: 麻花),[5] a type of twisted fried dough much denser and sweeter than youtiao.

The "Aberdeen crulla" is a traditional Scottish pastry made in the same way as the rectangular, plaited cruller of New England.[6] It is first attested in Edinburgh in 1829 and is thought to copied from the 'cruller' of the United States according to the Scottish National Dictionary (1931–1976).[7] Distinct from this, the "yum-yum" is a commonly available treat in Scotland, which resembles a straightened French cruller coated in thin glacé icing.

French cruller

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French cruller
A light and airy French cruller
Alternative namesSpritzkuchen
Chouxnut
TypePastry/Doughnut

A French cruller is a light airy, fluted, ring-shaped glazed doughnut extruded from choux pastry.[8] The name likely refers to the use of the French choux dough, with the actual origin of the pastry being German or Dutch, and was popularized in the United States by Dunkin' Donuts.[2][9] When filled, they are often referred to as a chouxnut.[10]

The French cruller is similar to the German Spritzkuchen (lit. transl. extruded cake), which is traditionally made from choux pastry that is piped onto parchment and then deep fried. It dates back to 18th century Nuremberg,[11] but became associated with Eberswalde in the 19th century.[12] It is said to have originated as part of carnival celebrations that take place before Lent to use up supplies of animal fats so they would not spoil and go to waste.[13]

Availability

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Crullers are most commonly found in Canada, New England, the Mid-Atlantic and North Central states of the United States; they are also common in California.[citation needed] The German origin is probably why traditional crullers can be found more easily in the Midwest, where many German immigrants settled.[1] Some family-owned bakeries still call them "krullers."

In 2003, the Dunkin' Donuts chain of doughnut shops stopped carrying traditional crullers, claiming that the hand-shaped rectangular treats were too labor-intensive, and couldn't be simulated with new machines for mixing doughnut batter. In its place some, of the chain’s franchises offered a simplified, machine-made rectangular version called a "cake stick".[14] As of 2003, the company still sold "French crullers",[15] which can be formed by a kind of extruding nozzle[16] similar to the way choux pastry is piped.

French crullers have been gaining popularity in the UK, Australia, and the USA, with specific mentions of Cardabelle in the UK, Moon Cruller in Australia, and Deli Provision in the USA. In 2024, Cardabelle was named London's favorite cruller. In the southeastern U.S., French crullers are a fresh-baked everyday bakery item at many donut shops and grocery stores.[citation needed] In 1973, the French cruller became available in Mister Donut stores in Japan.[17]

Tim Hortons[18] and Honey Dew Donuts[19] sell only the French cruller, not crullers. Krispy Kreme[20] sell a similar doughnut the company refers to as a cruller, but is a molded/formed cake doughnut.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c John Foust. "Midwestern Crullers". www.gojefferson.com. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "What Are Cruller Donuts (And Where Do They Come From)?". Yahoo Life. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  3. ^ Nowakowski, Audrey (22 February 2019). "Cruller Or Kruller? However You Spell It, It's A Milwaukee Doughnut Staple". WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  4. ^ Rhonda Parkinson (3 May 2017). "If You Want a New Breakfast Idea, Then Go Chinese!". The Spruce. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  5. ^ "crullers". Youdao dictionary. Accessed August 1, 2013.
  6. ^ F. Marian McNiell, "The Scots Kitchen",
  7. ^ "Crulla n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language – Dictionar o the Scots Leid. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  8. ^ Smith, Patti (2010). Just Kids. New York, New York: Ecco. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-06-621131-2.
  9. ^ Galarza, Daniela (28 May 2015). "Everything You Need to Know About the Great American Doughnut". Eater. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  10. ^ Gregory, Zola (13 July 2022). "Chouxnuts Give Crullers a Glazed Glow Up". TASTE. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  11. ^ Sincerus, Alexius (1713). Der wolbestanden Becker (in German) (6th ed.). Husum: Husum Verlagsgesellschaft (published 2013). p. 75. ISBN 978-3-89876-230-4.
  12. ^ Schlaak, Marina (2003). Zeitzeichen, Eberswalde – Geschichte und Geschichten (in German). Eberswalde: Stadtverwaltung Eberswalde. ISBN 3-9805947-3-4.
  13. ^ Hassani, Nadia (2004). Spoonfuls of Germany: Culinary Delights of the German Regions in 170 Recipes. ISBN 9780781810579.
  14. ^ "Dunkin' Donuts Product List". Archived from the original on 1 February 2012.
  15. ^ Joseph P. Kahn, "With Progress, a Cruel Twist", Boston Globe, 25 October 2003.
  16. ^ US patent 3396677, Adams Floyd N, Cooper Victor D, Sommers John E, "Shaped doughnut cutting device", published Aug 13, 1968, assigned to Dca Food Ind 
  17. ^ "History of Mister Donut" (in Japanese). misterdonut.jp. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  18. ^ Tim Hortons Snacks & Baked Goods
  19. ^ "French Cruller | Honey Dew Donuts". www.honeydewdonuts.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Glazed Cruller". krispykreme.com. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
[edit]
  • The dictionary definition of cruller at Wiktionary
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