Carnival doughnut (Faschingskrapfen)

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The carnival doughnut has been a popular tradition for centuries, and it is practically impossible to imagine the carnival season without it. But what exactly is a carnival doughnut, what does it consist of, and where does the tradition come from that the doughnut is so popular at carnivals of all times?
Traditional at carnival time
The tradition of the carnival doughnut goes back to the Middle Ages. At that time, it was the case that the particularly high-fat doughnuts, which had other names at the time, were eaten in preparation for the upcoming Lent. Due to the high-fat content, the doughnuts were more nutritious than simple bread.

Also, with the Romans, a similar pastry was already well-known, called “Globuli,” and usually with jam or honey refined after it was dipped into very hot fat. The traditional Faschingskrapfen by name was finally invented by a Viennese woman, Cäcillia Krapf, in the 18th century.
A Faschingskrapfen consists of the original of certain ingredients, which also correspond to an exact dosage in quantity. First, the ingredients include flour, fresh yeast, sugar, vanilla bean or vanilla sugar, salt, butter, whole eggs, egg yolk and whole milk. Then there is a filling, which usually consists of jam. The doughnut is then sprinkled with powdered sugar or garnished with icing. The doughnut is previously baked in sunflower oil or butter, or lard.

Attention, greasy and high in calories!
As you can already see from the ingredients, the Faschingskrapfen is not exactly a healthy food, but one must even speak of a rather unhealthy food mainly due to fat and sugar. Thus, an average doughnut contains about twelve grams of fat and almost 300 calories. Of course, one may eat one or other carnival doughnuts during the carnival season, but one should keep moderation here.