Oliebollen (Dutch Doughnuts) (2024)

FAQs

What do oliebollen mean in Dutch? ›

Oliebollen are a traditional Dutch delicacy eaten during winter. Oliebollen, literally translated as 'Oil Balls' are also known as Dutch Doughnuts.

Eating oliebollen was considered a surefire way to ward off the whims of a cruel pagan goddess named Perchta.

Reheating is easiest in the oven at 200˚C. Place them in the oven for about 10 minutes. It's best to spread out the balls on a baking tray for best results. Add the powdered sugar to the warm oliebollen and serve right away.

I know that normal oliebollen also get dry and harder after a day or two, but with gluten-free oliebollen this is even quicker. Therefore I advise to eat them on the same day as you make them. Or if you want to store them for a day or two, you can heat them in the microwave shortly before eating them.

Klootzak meaning

Klootzak literally translates to “scrotum”, and is used to describe anyone (or anything) that could be considered irritating, annoying or disagreeable.

An oliebol (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈoːlibɔl], plural oliebollen, West Frisian: Oaljebol or Oaljekoek) is a Dutch beignet, doughnut or fried dough that is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve.

There are two main types of oliebollen: one plain, the other with raisins in the dough. You can eat them with or without powdered sugar and in any case it is tasty, but powdered sugar does add some more richness to the taste.

Why do they do it? With their reputation for being a bit stingy and ever so efficient, it's safe to say that peanut butter is a Dutch superfood — it's quick, it's nutritious, and it's cheap. What more could a Dutchie want?

In the Netherlands there are only a few things that you can eat with your hands publicly without it being frowned upon: chips, pizza, bread and meat with a lot of bones, like chicken or spare-ribs. Using your hands and fingers to eat rice, vegetables, potatoes or meat without bones isn't on!

The history of the doughnut itself is generally traced to Dutch immigrants in 17th- and 18th-century New York, then New Netherland, who prepared fried dough balls called olie koeken or olykoeks, which means “oil cakes.” They were similar to modern doughnuts, although they did not yet have the iconic ring shape.

What is a Dutch donut? ›

Oliebollen are Dutch pastries similar to doughnuts. These deep-fried treats are typically filled with raisins and dusted with powdered sugar. Some modern variations are served with berry filling, but this is a traditional recipe. Oliebollen are a popular treat on New Year's.

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.

Dutch is used as the adjective for the Netherlands, as well as the demonym. The origins of the word go back to Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz, Latinised into Theodiscus, meaning "popular" or "of the people", akin to Old Dutch Dietsch or Old English þeodisc, meaning "(of) the common (Germanic) people".

heet {adj.}

Oliebollen

These Dutch snacks, literally deep fried balls of dough, are the epitome of New Year's in the Netherlands. Numerous oliebollen stands appear throughout towns and cities in the lead up to New Year's, and you can also buy bags of them at any of the Dutch supermarkets during this period.