Neula (, plural: ) is a type of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

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 ...

, eaten traditionally in

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

with cava (Catalan champagne) and '' torró''. They are often dipped into cava. It consists of a very thin sheet of a mixture of

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

, flavoured with lemon and rolled. At present there are some other popular versions, as neules stuffed with torró de Xixona or others covered with a chocolate lay. At present, although they are typical on Christmas, they can sometimes be eaten during the rest of the year, for example with ''

crema catalana The dessert known in most of Spain as ''crema catalana'' ("Catalan cream"), but as ''crema cremada'' ("burnt cream") in Catalan cuisine, is similar to a ''crème brûlée''; the desserts have been called "virtually identical", although ''crema c ...

'' or

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 ...

Origin

The noun ''neula'' comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''nebula'', meaning ''fog'', because of its fine and light texture. Some documents show that neules existed before ''torró'', and ''torró'' has been shown to exist at least in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and was eaten, for example, at

Jaume I James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 127 ...

's daughter's wedding.

Elaboration

Making neules at home, because of their lightness and slimness, is not easy so they are usually bought by Catalonians in professional patisseries. Nevertheless, some people do make them.

Other products

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

there are '' gaufres'' that, even though they are much thicker and flat, have the same origin as ''neules''. The same origin have other some stuffed or not waffles, as

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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.

s''. In other regions of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

there are a sort of rolled biscuits called "barquillos", but they are very much stronger, harder and thicker than waffles and ''neules'', bigger than ''neules'' and they taste different.

References

{{reflist Biscuits Catalan cuisine Christmas food Articles containing video clips

Origin

Elaboration

Other products

See also

References