The donut, specifically the ring-shaped donut with a hole in the middle, was invented by Hansen Gregory, an American ship captain from Maine, in 1847. He claimed to have invented this shape as a teenager because he was dissatisfied with the traditional donuts frying unevenly, with raw dough inside. By punching a hole in the center of the dough before frying, Gregory created a donut that cooked more evenly. This invention is widely accepted as the origin of the modern donut shape.
Earlier forms of fried dough date back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans, and variations like "olykoeks" or "oil cakes" were brought to America by Dutch settlers in the 17th century. However, the distinct hole- in-the-center donut popular today is credited to Gregory.
Additionally, mass production of donuts as we know it today was influenced by Adolph Levitt, a Jewish immigrant who invented the first automated donut machine in 1920.
