Persian (roll)

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Persian
TB PERSIAN.jpg
A Persian roll as made in Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada
Alternative namesPershing
Type Doughnut
Main ingredientsSweet dough [1] or doughnut batter
Variations Iced, glazed, cinnamon sugar

A Persian, Persian roll or Pershing is a fried sweet roll or doughnut with a spiral shape similar to a cinnamon bun. It may be covered with a sugar glaze, iced or frosted, [2] or sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar. The roll is especially popular around Thunder Bay, Ontario. Despite its name, the name is unrelated to the Persian Empire. [3]

Regional variations

In Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, it is said to have originated at Bennett's Bakery in Port Arthur, where it is served with a sweet, pink icing made of either raspberries or strawberries. Traditional lore is that the Persian was named for U.S. general John "Blackjack" Pershing [4] [5] but the exact date of its inception and circumstances of its creation are no longer known, giving rise to competing claims and stories. Its recipe remains a secret, with long-running debates on whether the icing contains raspberries or strawberries. Persians are often used as fundraising items to be sold at schools, churches, shopping malls, and other social events. [6] They may be served "toasted" – sliced in half, heated in a frying pan and iced on both sides. [5]

In Camden, Maine, they were historically made with chocolate frosting. [7] In Lehighton, Pennsylvania, they were served with chocolate or vanilla icing with a dollop of cherry–strawberry glaze. Persian buns in Wisconsin can have white (vanilla) or chocolate frosting and then topped with crushed peanuts. [8] A version is also sold as a "Pershing Donut" at Titus Bakery in Lebanon, Indiana. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Bain, Jennifer (September 18, 2002). "Fresh Air, fresh food". Toronto Star– via "Persians", The Food Timeline.{{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
  2. ↑ Ojeda, Sofia (February 10, 2013). "Lehighton Bakery Retires the Pershing Doughnut". WNEP-TV.
  3. ↑ https://www.tastingtable.com/1606296/persian-donut-history-explained/
  4. ↑ Brown, Ian (June 29, 2010). "My sweet tooth is satisfied - for the next six years". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 Jackson, Lisa (September 3, 2018), "The Sumptuous History of the Thunder Bay Persian Roll", Great Canadian Cookbook, Food Network Canada, archived from the original on 2021-01-24
  6. ↑ Persians, City of Thunder Bay, archived from the original on January 3, 2018
  7. ↑ Curtis, Abigail (June 28, 2011). "21st century remix for favorite Camden treat – Persian buns". Bangor Daily News.
  8. ↑ Heery, Michael A. (January 5, 2013). "Farewell party planned for the Persian doughnut". Times News . Lehighton, Pennsylvania.
  9. ↑ "The Persian Donut". bakingbuyer1. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
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