Origin of Phrases - D
Doughnut
In the late 15th century, Dutch bakers used to make what they called olykoeks, or oily cakes. These olykoeks were the first doughnuts, although they never had holes in them. They essentially were balls of dough that absorbed a great deal of grease during the frying process.
Now for the origin of the word. In the early 1600s, the Pilgrims learned how to make olykoeks and gave them a new name...doughnuts. The new name came about because the little balls of dough looked like walnuts.