The name itself–“Boston”–is Anglo-Saxon for a very famous item of food that has become a synecdoche for the city today.

“Bos” is the ancient Anglo-Saxon word for, “bag,” or, “sack of.”  It refers to a container, typically made of cloth centuries ago, but which can be applied to paper or cardboard.

“Ton” is more complex with multiple meanings, from, “fruitful forest,” to, “holiday fare,” to its most common use, which is, “dough.”  Specifically, over the years, “Bos,” came to mean the dough sold at religious fairs, typically fried and served with an array of toppings, such as sprinkles (these days known as, “jimmies”), or stuffed with cream or jelly.

Hence, Boston means, “Bag of Doughnuts,” and indeed the city exemplifies the pinnacle of this extraordinary dish.  While it is impossible to find a worthwhile bagel outside of Katz’s, located in Chelsea, in Boston, there is no shortage–none!–of doughnuts.

Alongside doughnuts, relying upon the telegenic past of its best known authority on food, a person who never worked in a professional kitchen for pay, there are croissants, some stuffed with processed pork from commercial farms, and others served with enough butter to trigger cardiac arrest.

Bon Appetit!