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Have you ever wondered where the first doughnut(炸面圈)was made? Who thought up the idea of a fried cake with a hole in the center? No one knows for sure who made the firstdoughnut. Some people think that doughnut probably began in the 1800s as Dutch " olykoeks " or "oily cakes. " In those days, a cook would not want to waste any scraps of food. Leftover pieces of bread dough(生面团)were put into hot oil and fried. Olykoeks were tasty on the outside, but soft and uncooked in the center. Some people say that the mother of a New England sea captain invented the first real doughnut. Her name was Elizabeth Gregory. She replaced the soft center with spices and nuts. But, Elizabeth's son, Captain Gregory, did not like nuts. He punched out the center, and the consequence was the first hole in a doughnut. Others say the real story is that Captain Gregory had difficulty steering his ship while trying to eat doughnut. He asked the ship's cook to make his doughnuts with holes so he could hang them on the steering wheel! Others think that Captain Gregory saw holed cakes in Europe and brought the idea back to America with him. During world war I, homesick American soldiers in Europe were served doughnuts by the Salvation Army. These brave women volunteering for the job were called " Doughnut Girls. " They often worked in dangerous conditions near the soldiers, so the Doughnut Girls wore helmets and uniforms. The women made doughnut cutters out of a large can with a smaller can inside it to cut out the hole. They could set up a kettle of hot oil to fry the dough almost anywhere. In the 1920s, doughnut machines were invented. Doughnuts were produced faster and easier than everbefore. Still, many people preferred to make their favorite doughnuts at home.