Wafer (cooking)

A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They frequently have a waffle 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 and Coffee Crisp, are wafers with chocolate in and around them.

Communion wafers

A communion wafer is a type of unleavened bread consumed after transubstantiation 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 and the Slovak Republic (e.g. Piešťany). 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 wafers are made of only wheat flour and water. Their patterns often depict religious scenes, are a Central European Roman Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian and Italian 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, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Venezuela, and México, is known as an ''oblea''. It is usually eaten as a dessert with two pieces filled with '' arequipe'', ''dulce de leche'' (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The pink wafer is a wafer-based confectionery originally made by Edinburgh's Crawford's Biscuits in the United Kingdom.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, 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 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

Piroulines and Barquillos are wafers rolled into a tube, and sometimes filled with cream.

See also

*Waffle, the pressed cake
*Loacker, an Italian wafer manufacturer
* Elledi, an Italian wafer confectionery and manufacturer
* Manner, Austrian confectioner known for wafers
*Neapolitan wafer, a thicker, small, round American cookie with a vanilla flavor
*''Mille-feuille'', the French layered pastry
*''Pirouline'', a rolled wafer, filled with a flavored creme
*''Stroopwafel'', the Dutch thin, caramel filled waffle
*''Tompouce'', the Benelux pastry
*'' Trakinas'', a Brazilian wafer brand
*''Horalky'', 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