During the course of my work writing and editing food content for World Trade Press, I’ve become a keyboard traveler who has crossed the globe. In the process, I gradually became aware of links between cultures in the foods they enjoy. This truth surprised me, as some of the same foods are enjoyed across the world’s countries. As our company databases include content for over 170 countries, I found that people in countries as far-flung as Canada and Zimbabwe are eating very similar foods.
Among these are potatoes made every which way, flatbreads with toppings, holiday breads, and warming soups and stews to battle cold weather. But there is one type of food that nearly every region of the world has a recipe for—fried dough.
It’s a very simple thing, this recipe, and ingredients are few: flour, water, and typically yeast, with sugar or salt common seasonings. Flour itself can be made from many different ingredients, from wheat, rice, and barley to coconut, corn, sorghum, cassava, potatoes, soybeans, and lentils. The list is long, actually.
The United States has funnel cakes, fry bread, and beignets, and Mexico has churros, as does Spain, Portugal, and Argentina. Hungary has lángos, a savory fried flatbread, while Greece puts a sweet honey touch on fried loukoumades. Arepas are made with corn in Colombia, Venezuela, and other South American countries, typically filled with ingredients such as cheese, meat, or avocado and enjoyed as a side dish, breakfast, or street food. Nigeria and other West African countries have puff-puff (or kala)and these round treats resemble what other countries may call a doughnut hole. South Africa’s vetkoek arrived in the country via the Dutch in the 17th century.
The Middle East has luqaimat, a traditional treat of deep-fried balls of dough coated in sugar syrup, while India and Pakistan have nearly the same thing in jalebi, though the signature alluring shape of jalebi results from batter being swirled into circles upon frying before the treats get a sugar glaze. China’s youtiao—sometimes called a Chinese cruller—tempts with their crispy exterior and fluffy interior, and they are found in many other Asian countries. Baursak is the puffy fried bread common in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and is made in both savory and sweet versions and often enjoyed as a special occasion food. Poland’s pączki, a traditional food on Fat Tuesday prior to the Lenten season, are stuffed with a wide range of fillings, from custard to fruit jams. Germany has a nearly identical sweet, called Berliners.
As I learned about the various names for essentially the same thing, I gained an appreciation for flour, frying, and the human desire—and ability—to make satisfying food from simple ingredients. Enjoyed sweet or salty, dusted with sugar or spices, stuffed with endless ingredients or slathered in butter, cheese, or sour cream, I had to marvel over this humble yet universal treat and thought to myself, “fried dough, who knew?!”
