What is it that a simple dough fried till golden with a sugary glaze, elicits peak comfort and joy? That is another story and like certain food items, fried dough is a universal thing and is called by different names based on the region, deeply steeped in the local customs and culture of their home countries. There is a fine line separating the doughnuts and the other lot of similar fried dough desserts, but this article focuses on the simplest of them that are akin to fried dough. Most of these are enjoyed with a beverage on the side – coffee, tea, milkshake, smoothie, you name it, each is perfect to have with sweetened fried dough.
Straight from Bulgaria, Mekica is a kind of flatbread whose dough is amply kneaded, and then deep fried in oil. The dough is made with flour, water, salt, oil, eggs, yoghurt, and a rising agent, like yeast or baking powder. The name of this fried dough comes from the Slavic root “mek” which means soft. This refers to the feel of the dish that is incredibly soft. It is often dusted with powdered sugar and eaten with jams, yoghurt or honey.
You might have guessed it – Beignets are French and the French like a little complication even in the simplest of things and thus Beignets are made from pastry dough. The pastry dough is deep fried, it puffs up as a result and then it's sprinkled with powdered sugar. It travelled overseas to Canada, and settled in the Acadia region, around the 17th century. As the migrants moved, it also spread to the United States. With time the fried dough shifted locations and today it’s largely associated with the French Quarter of New Orleans.
It’s essentially a Finnish pastry that is half a quesadilla or half a moon with a filling inside, both sweet and savory. Lörtsy is a speciality of the Savonia, a historical province back from the era of Kings and Queens in Sweden. You can find this snack being sold in local markets. This is also deep-fried and enjoyed with a dusting of sugar and the sweeter versions have jam filled inside.
Fry Jacks are popular breakfast items eaten in Belize that puff up and swim in the oil when fried. It is eaten both with savory items like beans and meat and the sweet version is eaten with jams and honey. They are the Belizean version of the Beignets above and are a Caribbean favourite. Grab a milkshake with this snack or like the locals like it, with a mango shake.
This one is hardly a surprise given how it’s exactly what fried dough is – a simple dough that is fried and rolled in sugar. It’s also one of the most widely recognized desserts and once upon a time used to be made and eaten by Spanish shepherds who used to cook them in a pan over a naked flame. The dough of the churros is passed through a plastic pipe-like bag that is forced through a ridged pastry metal tip. The dough comes out as a thin, ridged cylinder, deep fried and then coated in cinnamon sugar. A cup of coffee and a thick hot chocolate is the best accompaniment to churros that is a breakfast staple in Latin America and also Spain.
Coming from the Netherlands’ Limburg, Nonnevot is a twisty fried dough that is essentially Dutch. It dates back to the 17th century and contains lard as one of its ingredients. It gets deep-fried until it reaches a golden-brown colour on the outside. The name sounds perverted once you translate, where “Nonnevot” means “nun’s butt”, but not in the way you might think. Its knotted shape resembles the knots in the back of the nun’s uniforms from back then. It used to be a carnival snack once upon a time but now it's found everywhere.
If you know Malta, you likely have heard of Imqaret which is the region’s spin on fried dough. Also made of pastry dough like Beignets, Imqarets are filled with spices, citrusy elements, and dates, then deep fried till golden. The name of the dessert comes from the word “maqrut” which means diamond-shaped, and the dessert is actually diamond-shaped, hence the name. Like most fried dough desserts, Imqarets are also dusted with sugar.