Week 14 - Ontbijt - The Netherlands

HAGELSLAG


It's time.  Time for sprinkles for breakfast!  And they are every bit as good as you imagine.


Sprinkles, jimmies, nonpareils, hundreds and thousands, confetti, hagelslag... the sheer number of names for the humble sprinkle is amazing.  But make no mistake, Hagelslag is a sprinkle above the rest.  Yes, even above the lofty french non-pareil!

Hagelslag (dutch for hailstorm) were officially invented in 1936 by the Venz company.  However some form of chocolately bread topping has been around the Netherlands since at least 1860 from the "Master of Bread Toppings" De Ruijter.  (see box below)

A very popular breakfast choice in the Netherlands, you can buy Hagelslag or their cousin the Vlokken (shavings), in a large array of flavours, shapes and colours.  Word is that the Dutch consume more than 14 million kilos a year!  That's a lot of sprinkles.









The standard procedure for Hagelslag: butter a piece of white bread, sprinkle with Hagelslag and enjoy.  Unlike the German Weisswurst however, Hagelslag is open to interpretation.  You can enjoy it on toast, crepes, ice cream (well maybe not for breakfast), with peanut butter, cream cheese...whatever sparks your fancy.  So far we've tried it standard, toasted and with peanut butter.  And we've tried it a lot.  In fact, since we first tried this breakfast (admittedly several weeks back) we've gone through two whole boxes of Hagelslag!  It's quick and convenient and a lot of fun.  (a component that doesn't make it into a lot of breakfasts)

You bite into the nice soft, fresh white bread, savour the creamy butter on your tongue and as the Hagelslag enter your mouth they melt, almost like you're eating a delicious chocolate frosting spread on bread.  Mmmmmm... As Jon would say: "I wish I was eating them right now."

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:  

It doesn't get any easier than this folks.

For Degree of Separation:

Although made with humble bread, the original use of ordinary ingredients blew my mind.

For Guestability:

For Sustainability:

Overall Appeal:

Some more Hagelslag trivia:

-Supposedly invented when a 5 year old boy wrote DeRuijter asking for a chocolate bread topping.

-Hagelslag must contain over 35% cocoa or they're called "cacao fantasy hagelslag" - AKA fake hagelslag.

-Pink or blue Hagelslag flavoured with anise seeds are a popular baby shower treat in the Netherlands.

Next time we head to Africa and explore how Ethiopians start their day....