are thin dessert

waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened Batter (cooking), 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 ...

s, traditionally made in

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

to celebrate the New Year and other feasts. are made with more sugar than other traditional waffles, and since sugar was historically a luxury good, were associated with the nobility and with celebrations. Jules Destrooper popularized a version of called "butter waffles".

Description

The main ingredients in are flour, butter, and sugar. The ''Westvlaamsch Idioticon'', a West Flemish dictionary, defined as a "thin, solid little wafer, usually oval-shaped."

Etymology

The term is derived from the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

word for

luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at a ...

, ''geluk.'' Traditionally, on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

, children would congratulate (''luk'') their

godparents Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child's baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, ...

by offering . The baking of lukken became

idiomatic An idiom (the quality of it being known as idiomaticness or idiomaticity) is a syntactical, grammatical, or phonological structure peculiar to a language that is actually realized, as opposed to possible but unrealized structures that could have ...

for something that could be done quickly and simply, as in the Flemish expression ''Het gaat lijk lukken bakken'' ("it goes like baking "). In

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, are sometimes called , meaning "New Year waffles". In

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, goes by names such as s and .

History

Traditionally, were produced on special "''luk'' irons" (''lukijzers'') that sometimes became family heirlooms. A museum in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

came into possession of one such iron, dating from the 18th century, and bearing the phrase ("I wish you a happy New Year"). When electric

waffle iron A waffle iron or waffle maker is a kitchen utensil used to cook waffles between two hinged metal plates. Both plates have gridded indentations to shape the waffle from the batter or dough placed between them. The plates are heated and the iron ...

s were introduced, the time to bake a single could be reduced from 3 minutes to 30 seconds. The ''

Gazette van Detroit The ''Gazette van Detroit'' ("Gazette of Detroit") was a Flemish newspaper in Dutch and English that was published in the United States from 13 August 1914 until 2018. It was aimed at Flemish immigrants and their descendants living in the United ...

'', a newspaper for

Belgian Americans Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants ...

, often advertized the sale of irons around the holidays. Jules Destrooper popularized a version of called "butter waffles".

References

{{reflist Waffles Belgian desserts

Description

Etymology

History

See also

References