The idea of dunking biscuits into your tea originated in 16th Century England. Members of the Royal Navy were supplied with hard, long lasting biscuits designed to last lengthy voyages, but impossible to eat without soaking in liquid first. Moving on to the 21st century, it has now become a national debate for us Brits on whether you should dunk a biscuit into your cup of tea or coffee. But what about a doughnut?

The National Dunking Association

Let’s throwback to the 1930s when the National Dunking Association was created by the Doughnut Corporation of America. The reason being to help popularise doughnuts in North America, but it ended up capturing the attention of millions. The association included famous figures such as Johnny Carson (television personality), Jimmy Durante (comedian) and Jack Lemmon (actor). Members were encouraged to eat doughnuts following the Official Dunking Rules: a member must break their doughnut in half before swishing it in their drink of choice. According to the membership card, you were ‘permitted at all times to dunk doughnuts either in private or public, without criticism or interference’.