(; ) are aniseed comfits and are a traditional Dutch bread topping. While customary on bread, they are traditionally eaten on ''beschuit'', or

rusk A rusk is a hard, dry Biscuit#Biscuits in British usage, biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the ...

. Muisjes is a registered trademark of Koninklijke De Ruijter BV. ''Muisjes'' are made of

aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

s with a

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 Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

ed and colored outer layer. They are currently only produced by the Dutch

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

company De Ruijter, a brand acquired by

Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...

in 2001.

Etymology

It's uncertain why the name "little mice" was chosen. It may have been that the

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

of the seed reminded people of a mouse's tail, or it may have been that the mouse's fast reproductive cycle was further used as symbolism for healthy childbirth. In Belgium they are commonly called ''muizenstrontjes'' (mouse droppings).

''Beschuit met muisjes''

In the Netherlands, it is customary to celebrate the birth of a baby by eating muisjes on top of

—''beschuit met muisjes'' — with family and colleagues. In the 17th century, aniseed was thought to aid

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process ...

and help the womb contract. ''Beschuit met muisjes'' are typically brought by older siblings to share with classmates at school or by parents to share with colleagues at work. The exact origin of giving away ''muisjes'' is unknown, but likely stems from traditions dating back to the

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

. Because childbirth used to be very dangerous for women, births without complications were celebrated extensively. A treat—usually something sweet—was given to visitors as a supposed "gift" from the newborn child. ''Muisjes'' started being produced in the Netherlands in the 18th century, and replaced sugar as the favourite topping used on beschuit to symbolise successful childbirth. However, beschuit was quite expensive at the time and mostly reserved for festivities organised by the wealthy, so most people instead ate sugary

white bread White bread typically refers to breads made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ layers have been removed from the whole wheatberry as part of the flour grinding or milling process, producing a light-colored flour. Nutrition Wh ...

until beschuit became cheaper. When pink ''muisjes'' were introduced in 1860, they became the standard with births of female babies while the original white ''muisjes'' remained in use with male ones. With the introduction of blue ''muisjes'' in 1994, blue has become the standard with boys instead. De Ruijter is currently the largest brand in production of ''muisjes'' and has been producing them since 1860. King Willem III made the brand a supplier of the royal court in 1883. The company managed to repopularize the dish when in 1938 the Dutch royal family was given a large can of orange ''muisjes'' (orange is the color of the Dutch royal family, the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

) in celebration of the birth of princess

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...

. Orange ''muisjes'' were again sold for only one week in December 2003, in honour of the birth of future crown princess Catharina-Amalia.

''Gestampte muisjes''

''Gestampte muisjes'' ("crushed muisjes") are ''muisjes'' crushed to powder, which are sprinkled onto a slice of bread or a Dutch rusk over butter, a customary breakfast food for Dutch children. According to De Ruijter, some elderly women with bad teeth at the end of the 19th century were the origin of ''gestampte muisjes''. They had difficulty eating the hard aniseed balls and decided to grind them in a mortar.

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Muisjes'' Dutch confectionery Dutch cuisine Sandwiches Anise Toppings

Etymology

''Beschuit met muisjes''

''Gestampte muisjes''

See also

References