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A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry
biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
, often used to decorate
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into
cookie A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, n ...
s with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They frequently have a
waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...
surface pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the food's manufacturer or may be patternless. Some chocolate bars, such as
Kit Kat Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, United Kingdom, and is now produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United Stat ...
and
Coffee Crisp Coffee Crisp is a chocolate bar made in Canada. It consists of alternating layers of vanilla wafer and a foamed coffee-flavoured soft candy, covered with a milk chocolate outer layer. Originally launched by British company Rowntree's, it is c ...
, are wafers with chocolate in and around them.


Communion wafers

A communion wafer is a type of unleavened bread consumed after
transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of th ...
as part of the Christian ritual of communion.


Spa wafer

Special "spa wafers" (Czech: ''lázeňské oplatky'', Slovak: ''kúpeľné oblátky'') are produced in the spa towns of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and the
Slovak Republic Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
(e.g.
Piešťany Piešťany (; german: Pistyan, hu, Pöstyén, pl, Pieszczany , cs, Píšťany ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best kno ...
). The production of the wafers in Karlsbad and Marienbad was traditional to the towns' German-speaking population, who, after the ethnic cleansing of the area, brought the craft to Germany.


Christmas wafer

Christmas wafer Christmas wafer ( pl, opłatek, plural ; lt, kalėdaitis, plural ; , plural ) is a Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia. The custom is traditionally observed during '' Kūčios'' in Lithuania and ''Wigilia'' ...
s are made of only wheat flour and water. Their patterns often depict religious scenes, are a
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an Roman Catholic
Christmas tradition Christmas traditions include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals, and folklore associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many of these traditions vary by country or region, while others are practiced in a virtually identical m ...
celebrated in
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
, Slovak,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
families on Christmas Eve. These do not have sacramental value like the communion wafer. Christmas wafers are symbolic bread to share among guests to emphasize the close relationship by eating bread together. This gesture has a positive meaning, but additional wishes are often made as well. They are called ''opłatek'' (Latin: oblatum) in Polish, as opposed to ''wafel'', which denotes a common wafer.


''Oblea''

A variation of a wafer, considered a part of the traditional cuisine in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, and
México Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, is known as an ''
oblea Oblea is a wafer dessert typical of Spain and Latin American countries, it consists of two communion wafers sandwiching dulce de leche. While obleas are typically filled with dulce de leche they may also contain jam, cheese, fruits, whipped cre ...
''. It is usually eaten as a dessert with two pieces filled with '' arequipe'', ''
dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, wh ...
'' (milk caramel), and/or condensed milk in the middle. In some places, they might contain cheese, fruits, or chantilly cream, among others.


Pink wafer

The pink wafer is a wafer-based confectionery originally made by Edinburgh's Crawford's Biscuits in the United Kingdom. It is now made by
United Biscuits United Biscuits (UB) is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of McVitie's biscuits, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In Nove ...
, the company that took over the firm in 1960, still using the Crawford's name. The snack consists of crème sandwiched between wafers (dyed pink). There is a similar product branded
Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pink ...
wafers.


''Freska''

''Freska'' is an Egyptian wafer sold only on beaches in the summertime. It is made from two thin circular wafers filled with a thin layer of honey syrup.


Variations

File:Waffle-2016.jpg, An Israeli wafer File:Tunnocks-Caramel-Wafer-Split.jpg, A chocolate-covered wafer File:Pirouette cookies.JPG, Rolled wafers File:Pink Wafers.jpg, Wafer cookie


Flavours

Some wafers are produced with a chocolate covering. Another popular flavor is lemon.


Shapes

Pirouline Pirouline is a brand of creme-filled rolled wafer cookie sold in the United States by the DeBeukelaer Corporation. Piroulines were developed in 1984 by Peter DeBeukelaer. Pirouline cookies are toasted, rolled wafers that are filled with creme a ...
s and
Barquillo Barquillo is a crispy rolled wafer pastry originating in Spain. It is made from the basic cookie ingredients of flour, sugar, egg whites and butter rolled out thinly and then shaped into a hollow cylinder or a cone. It was traditionally sold by ...
s are wafers rolled into a tube, and sometimes filled with cream.


See also

*
Waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...
, the pressed cake *
Loacker Loacker S.p.A. (in German Loacker AG) is an Italian confectionery company, based in South Tyrol, Italy and specialized in the production of wafers, chocolate and derivative products. History The company was founded in 1925 in the historic city ...
, an Italian wafer manufacturer *
Elledi Lago Group S.p.A. (also known as Elledi) is an Italian confectionery company specialising in the production of wafers. They were founded in 1968 and became a public company in 1981. Most of their market is in Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), off ...
, an Italian wafer confectionery and manufacturer * Manner, Austrian confectioner known for wafers *
Neapolitan wafer Neapolitan wafers (also called gaufrettes in some countries, though this term can refer to other foods) are wafer and chocolate-cream sandwich biscuits, first made by Austrian company Manner in 1898.Nilla wafers Nilla is a brand name owned by Nabisco that is most closely associated with its line of vanilla-flavored, wafer-style cookies. The name is a shortened version of vanilla, the flavor profile common to all Nilla-branded products. Originally sold as ...
, a thicker, small, round American cookie with a vanilla flavor *''
Mille-feuille A (, "thousand-sheets"),The name is also written as and . also known by the names Napoleon, vanilla slice, and custard slice, is a dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Ma ...
'', the French layered pastry *''
Pirouline Pirouline is a brand of creme-filled rolled wafer cookie sold in the United States by the DeBeukelaer Corporation. Piroulines were developed in 1984 by Peter DeBeukelaer. Pirouline cookies are toasted, rolled wafers that are filled with creme a ...
'', a rolled wafer, filled with a flavored creme *''
Stroopwafel A ''stroopwafel'' (; literally 'syrup waffle') is a thin, round waffle cookie made from two layers of sweet baked dough held together by caramel filling.
'', the Dutch thin, caramel filled waffle *''
Tompouce A tompoes or tompouce is a pastry in The Netherlands. It is the local variety of the mille-feuille or Napoleon, introduced by an Amsterdam pastry baker and named after Admiraal Tom Pouce, the stage name of the Frisian dwarf Jan Hannema. Customs ...
'', the Benelux pastry *'' Trakinas'', a Brazilian wafer brand *''
Horalky Horalky is a Slovak wafer biscuit with peanut filling and cocoa coating made by I.D.C. Holding, a.s. under the Sedita brand. It is the bestselling wafer of all time in the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1965.{{fact, date=September 2008 Horalky wa ...
'', the Slovak wafer bar * ANZAC wafer, the ironic term for army-issue hardtack biscuit in World Wars I and II


References


External links

*{{commons category-inline, Wafers (snack) Cakes Cookies Cookie sandwiches Chocolate-covered foods