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Speculaas (, , , , ) is a type of spiced
Speculaas (, , , , ) is a type of spiced shortcrust
Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in the British English sense) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicke ...
biscuit baked with speculaas spices.
Speculaas is usually flat in the shape of a picture and is especially popular around the feast of St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
and during the time of Advent. The oldest sources on speculaas also mention weddings and fairs. In recent decades, however, it has become normal to eat Speculaas all year round, especially with coffee or tea, or with ice cream.
Speculaas is mainly made and eaten in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in the German Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
and Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
, Luxembourg and northern France. It can also be found in Indonesia where it is known as ''spekulaas'' or ''spekulaaskoekjes'', and usually served at Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
or on other special occasions.
See also
* Cookie butter * Ginger biscuit *Kruidnoten
() are hard cookie-like confectioneries made of speculaas, roughly the size of a coin and shaped much like hamburger buns. They are traditionally associated with Sinterklaas and consequently commonly eaten in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Trad ...
, a thicker, harder biscuit made without molds with the same ingredients
*Springerle
Springerle is a type of South German biscuit or cookie with an embossed design made by pressing a mold onto rolled dough and allowing the impression to dry before baking. This preserves the detail of the surface pattern. While historical molds sh ...
, a thicker, anise-flavoured, moulded Christmas biscuit from Germany
References
Almond cookies Sinterklaas food Biscuits Christmas in Germany {{dessert-stub