Dutch doughnut
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Oliebollen (literally oil balls), sometimes called smoutebollen, are a traditional Dutch food. They are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve and at funfairs.
They are made by using two spoons to scoop a certain amount of dough and dropping the dough into a deep fryer filled with hot oil. This way, a sphere-shaped "oliebol" emerges.
The dough is made from flour, eggs, yeast, some salt, milk and optionally some sultanas or currants and sometimes apple pieces. The dough needs time to rise for at least an hour. Oliebollen are usually served with powdered sugar.
They are said to have been first eaten by Germanic tribes in the Netherlands during the Yule, the period between December 26 and January 6. The Germanic goddess Perchta, together with evil spirits, would fly through the mid-winter sky. To appease these spirits, food was offered, much of which contained deep-fried dough. It was said Perchta would cut open the bellies of those who did not eat, as the fat in the oliebollen would make her sword slide off her body[1].
[edit] References
- ^ Oliebollen en oliekoecken (in Dutch)
