What Is A Bismark Donut And How Does It Differ From A Regular One?

Born in Germany and a favorite of many donut lovers, the Bismark is one of the most well-known versions of a filled donut. While the exact details vary based on where you enjoy one, a Bismark is made of fried yeast dough, often oblong but sometimes round in shape, filled with either jelly or cream, and either frosted with chocolate or rolled in sugar. The dough is one of the few non-negotiables of a Bismark, thanks to the texture difference between cake and yeast donuts.

When talking about donuts, it's important to keep in mind that many of their names, and the recipes associated with them, are more colloquial than they are set in stone. For example, from the American Midwest up to Alberta, Canada, a Bismark is topped with sugar and filled with jelly. But in Manitoba, Canada and the Northeastern United States, it refers to an oblong, cream-filled donut with chocolate icing. The latter version is similar to a Boston cream donut (which itself is based on a classic Boston cream pie recipe).

Today, most Bismarks have the filling piped inside, but some versions slice the donut in half and then add the filling, similar to a sugary sandwich. The history of this donut is a major contributor to its sheer variety, especially after it arrived in the Americas.

Bismark donuts can be traced back to 1485, when the German cookbook "Kuchenmeisterei" or "Mastery of the Kitchen" came off the Gutenberg press. It contained the first known mention of a jelly-filled donut, called a Gefüllte Krapfen. However, savory donuts filled with meat or fish were more common in Germany at the time, since sugar was seen as a luxury. 

It wasn't until the 16th century that sweet donuts became prevalent in Europe, and this gave pastry chefs and bakers more motivation to experiment with new recipes. By the 19th century, jam donuts known as Berliners, the progenitor of the Bismark, had become quite popular in Germany. While the evidence is a bit muddied, it's believed that the treat was later coined as a "Bismark" or "Bismarck" because it was beloved by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Germans and other immigrants from Central Europe possibly brought the treats over to North America.

Like any donut, the Bismark been tweaked many times over, connecting different shapes, tastes, and textures to the name. Bismarks have proliferated across the U.S., spawning new variations like the Southern version (also called the Long John), an unfilled, oblong donut tossed in sugar. Today, the term "Bismark donut" is quite flexible, not seeming to rely on any specific ingredients or other traits, other than the yeasted dough. Will we see Bismarks with unconventional fillings or turned into rainbow glazed donuts in the future? Only time will tell.