  a traditional cruller (or twister) is a fried pastry often made from a rectangle of dough, with a cut made in the middle that allows it to be pulled over and through itself producing twists in the sides of the donut. crullers have been described as resembling "a small, braided torpedo" and having been "a staple of the new england diet since the pilgrims' day". some other cruller styles are made of a denser dough somewhat like that of a cake doughnut formed in a small loaf or stick shape, but not always twisted."midwestern crullers". crullers may be topped with plain powdered sugar; powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon; or icing. however, a "french cruller" is a fluted, ring-shaped doughnut made from choux pastry with a light airy texture. ==history and origin== thumb|right|180px|a traditional cruller shape: rectangular with two twisted sides is shown in this hand-made type of cruller (called "klejner" in denmark) the name comes from early 19th century dutch kruller, from krullen "to curl". crullers are traditionally eaten in germany and some other european countries on shrove tuesday, to use up fat before lent. in danish they are known as "klejner" and in swedish as "klenÃ¤ter", both names deriving from low german. in scandinavia crullers are common at christmas. crullers are believed to have been introduced to the new world by sebastian croll. they were referenced in the wizard of oz when aunt em offered them to hunk, hickory, and zeke after scolding them for being "three shiftless farmhands". the twisted shape of the crullers might have been a metaphor for tornadoes as the same scene references other metaphors which influenced dorothy's subsequent dream. ==availability== crullers are most commonly found in canada, new england and the mid-atlantic and north central states of the united states, but are also common in california. the german origin is probably why traditional crullers can be found more easily in the midwest, where many german immigrants settled. some family-owned bakeries still call them "krullers." in other parts of the u.s., crullers may be called "dunking sticks" or simply "sticks." [[file:french-cruller-donut.jpg|thumb|180px|right|a round "french cruller&q
Doughnuts