Sufganiot: Do’s and do nuts

The Israeli version of the doughnut, the sufgania, is a solid round ball of dough, unlike the modern, American- style doughnut with a hole in the center.

DECEMBER 22, 2016 21:02

Classic sufganiot (photo credit: WIKIMEDIA) — Classic sufganiot

(photo credit: WIKIMEDIA)

Who invented the doughnut (or, as some prefer, donut)? Well, that depends on who you ask, but of course if you ask a Jew, you will get the inevitable answer that we invented the doughnut.

Technically speaking, a doughnut is dough fried in oil. Fried dough has supposedly been around ever since mankind invented pottery and the skillet, perhaps as early as 8000 BCE in ancient Egypt and China.

In the Torah (Leviticus 7:12), reference is made to a ritual round dough (murbechet) that was first boiled in water, then baked in an oven and finally fried in oil – most likely a precursor to the bagel and the doughnut as part of Jewish tradition. In fact, the bagel and the doughnut have connected symbolism. The bagel has been referred to as a doughnut with rigor mortis.

The circular shape of many traditional Jewish foods is symbolic of the circle of life. Round-shaped foods are traditionally eaten at the beginning and end of the life cycle. Bagels (with a hole in the center) are traditionally given to women before or after childbirth. At the other end of the spectrum, round legumes or eggs (with no hole, or “mouth” in the center) are traditionally eaten by mourners, referring to the custom that a mourner has no “mouth,” i.e. may not greet anyone in the first three days of mourning.

The Israeli version of the doughnut, the sufgania, is a solid round ball of dough, unlike the modern, American- style doughnut with a hole in the center. The word “sufgania” originates from the ancient Greek sfognus, meaning to “soak up.”

The idea to punch a hole in the doughnut is credited to an American, Hanson Gregory, in 1847 as a solution to the all-too-common phenomenon that the middle of the doughnut never got cooked properly. By making a hole in the center, the surface area is increased and the dough is more evenly fried.

While undeniably delicious, a doughnut is the epitome of unhealthy food, being high in carbs and fat. The only person who could possibly benefit from a doughnut’s nutritional properties is a marathon runner the night before a marathon. So I guess it is a good thing that Hanukka is only eight days of the year. I wonder if anyone ever did a portrait of Judah the Maccabee before and after the battle with Antiochus. The doughnuts were probably a good carbo-load before the fray, but a generous pot belly was probably the aftermath.

What really makes me do my nut here in Israel is that stores start selling doughnuts the day after Simhat Torah. Just in case you might miss out, they give you a full two-and-a-half months to pig out before the actual day arrives, so when Hanukka rolls round (literally) you can’t even bear to look at a doughnut. I thank my lucky stars that I never chose law enforcement as a profession or to live next to a doughnut store.

Undoubtedly Israel is playing catch-up with America in terms of doughnut flavors, having only recently discovered pistachio and Irish cream. The US is orders of magnitude ahead, already on groundbreaking (and gut-shattering) flavors like beef jerky and potato salad.

With all the blueberry, maple, chocolate, Boston cream and other goop oozing out of all ends, one could easily forget that it is not really about the fillings but the oil.

So, together with the rest of the nation, like last year, I will do my part for crown and country and down (with relish, I might add) my customary doughnut this Hanukka (on Hanukka). I will not think too much about where it came from, who invented it, how much fat it has or how many miles I will need to run it off. I will think of the circular symbolism, not the shape of my belly.

I will celebrate the Festival of Lights (not light in calories) and I will remember Judah the intrepid warrior and the miracle of the oil.

Happy Hanukka!

The writer, a master baker originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, lives in Ginot Shomron with his wife Sheryl and four children. The inventor of Rambam Bread, he is CEO of the Saidel Artisan Baking Institute (www.saidels.com), which specializes in training and education in the field of organic, healthy artisan baking. He also lectures and works as a consultant in the fields of cereal chemistry, health and nutrition.

No-Brainer Sufgania Recipe

(makes 10 sufganiot)

♦ 1 kg. flour

♦ 1½ cups water

♦ 2 eggs

♦ 2 tsp. salt

♦ 2 Tbsp. instant powdered yeast

♦ ¾ cup sugar

♦ 100 gr. margarine/butter (softened)

♦1 tsp. vanilla essence

Mix and knead for 10 minutes by hand (7 minutes in mixer). Leave to rise covered for 30 minutes.

Divide into 10 portions and shape into balls.