Forget candy canes; there's another festive treat that excites the Dutch come Christmas time. Oliebollen are deep-fried balls made from pantry ingredients such as flour, yeast, salt, water and sugar. They often contain raisins or currants and are generously sprinkled with powdered sugar on top.
This cousin to the doughnut, which looks like a golden bauble, is a sought-after treat in The Netherlands and is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve.
OLIEBOLLEN
Apple and raisin fritters (olie bollen)
Origins of oliebollen
The literal translation of oliebollen may not sound so appetising: oil ball. But getting greasy fingers hasn't put off the Dutch from eating them for centuries.
However, there's no consensus on the Dutch delicacy's beginnings. Many think that the oliebollen originated during pagan times, since it was eaten by Germanic tribes celebrating Yule. One story goes that the cruel pagan goddess Perchta would fly around and cut open the stomachs of people she came across for food. Eating oliebollen was supposedly a deterrent. Their oily residue meant Perchta's sword would slide off their stomachs, sparing them from the spirit's next-level hangry ways.
Meanwhile, others say that the beloved ball was brought over to The Netherlands by Jews fleeing Portugal during the Middle Ages.
It was in the 17th century that the Dutch doughnut got its first mention. An oliebollen recipe was published in the Dutch cookbook , meaning The sensible cook or careful housekeeper. The recipe referred to the fatty treat as oliekoecken (oil cakes). It wasn't until the late 19th century, and its admittance into the Dutch dictionary, that oilebollen became its preferred name.
Oliebollen are a sure-fire way to warm up during a European winter. Source: Omefrans/Flickr
Around the same period, Dutch painter Aelbert Cuyp illustrated a pot of oliebollen (A young woman with a pot of oliebollen), currently on display at . So, one can only assume oliebollen had been devoured by the Dutch for some time.
Where to find oliebollen
The Netherlands becomes quite cold during the winter, but oliebollen are a surefire way to warm up the insides.
Leading up to the festive period, the traditional Dutch doughnut is readily available from many pop-up street vendors, called oliebollenkraam, throughout the country. The treats typically sell for around one euro each or are cheaper to purchase in bulk. The best time to buy one (or many!) is when you know it's been recently cooked. It'll be warm and gooey and you can smell its freshness wafting through the air.
Oliebollenkraam often sell other Dutch treats, such as appelbeignets (pastry apple fritters), appel bollen (apple dumplings) and different variations of the oliebollen.
Every time before left, we would buy some and eat them in the car on the way home. It was kind of our tradition.
There are other variations of the doughnut through other parts of the continent. They're referred to as croustillons in France and as smoutebollen in Belgium.
Perth-based Belgian Dylan Demets tells SBS Food how oliebollen were a part of his Christmas celebrations in Belgium.
"Oliebollen is mainly eaten on the Flemish side of Belgium, but you can find them everywhere now when there is a carnival in the city or other events."
Eating oliebollen reminds Demets of when he was at a carnival in Kortrijk in West Flanders with his family.
"Every time before left, we would buy some and eat them in the car on the way home. It was kind of our tradition."
In Germany, they're called the Berliner and contain a jam filling. In Italy, they're known as fritole. Meanwhile, in Serbia and Bosnia, they're named uštipci.
Many are only too happy to eat this centuries-old Dutch treat if only all the time.
