Rarity of the cronut, croissant-doughnut hybrid, ups its taste?

NEW YORK, June 7 (UPI) -- The cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid, is so popular people wait in line to buy it at a New York City bakery and some say its rarity adds to its tastiness.

The Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York began selling its new confection in May and on May 19 it received its trademark for "Cronut," registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in more than five other countries, cable's CNBC reported.

The cronut -- layers of puff pastry made into a doughnut shape and fried -- can only be purchased at the New York City bakery because of the trademark.

Adding to the sugary, flaky cronut cachet is that the bakery only makes a certain amount each morning and once they are sold out -- usually within an hour of the bakery's opening at 8 a.m. -- the bakery makes no more.

Less than a month after the cronut's introduction its fame was assured via social media -- there was a mention on Trump Soho's Facebook page.

Jennifer Pickard stood in line to buy a box of cronuts at $5 each to bring to her mother in Florida. Her mother's interest was piqued after reading about the cronut craze, while Jisoo Oh from Seoul, South Korea, wanted to try the unique hybrid of sturdy American doughnut and the continental French pastry, The Huffington Post reported.

Scalpers wake up at dawn to be first in line and resell the cronuts for $20 or more. Some sell the cronuts on the Internet via Craigslist for even more money, plus delivery.

However, knock-offs, or copy cats have been appearing, but they are different and have different names. Robert Cabeca, owner of Chocolate Crustin Washington, started offering a "doissant" last weekend, while a Columbus, Ohio, bakery owner trademarked his "doughssant," in May hoping to profit from the cronut fad even though he's been crossing a croissant and a doughnut since 1991.

Is the cronut that great, or is it just another cupcake craze? Many told The Huffington Post they absolutely were worth every penny and worth the wait. Some said they were overrated.

But rare food has always been valued, often much beyond its taste.

Gold is the world's most expensive food, but it is flavorless, and used mainly as flakes or gold leaf for decoration in desserts or drinks. White truffle, a fungus that grows among a tree's roots, is valued for its intense flavor, aroma and scarcity, while Almas Caviar, the most esteemed fish eggs, come from the Beluga Sturgeon, which takes 20 years to mature making its eggs limited.