A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light biscuit, often used to decorate

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. They frequently have a

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 ...

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 Toffee Crisp, are wafers with chocolate in and around them.

Communion wafers

A communion wafer is a type of unleavened bread consumed 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 The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and the Slovak Republic (e.g.

Piešťany Piešťany (; , , , ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its Piešťany District, own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around ...

). 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. A similar biscuit is cooked in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

called the Molnárkalács. Its origins can be traced back to the Palóc population. It is round and hard (sometimes also rolled) decorated with folk symbols and images and text instead of a simple spiral. It is also eaten with toppings like jams. It is made with special pressing tool, the ''sütővas''.

Christmas wafer

Christmas wafers are made of only wheat flour and water. Their patterns often depict religious scenes, are a

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

an Roman Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Polish, Slovak,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n 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

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Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

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, and

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, is known as an '' oblea''. It is usually eaten as a dessert with two pieces filled with '' arequipe'', '' dulce de leche'', or '' cajeta'' (milk caramel), and/or condensed milk in the middle. In some places, they might contain cheese, fruit, or whipped 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:Tunnocks-Caramel-Wafer-Split.jpg, A chocolate-covered wafer File:Pirouette cookies.JPG, Rolled wafers File:Pink Wafers.jpg, Pink 'n' Whites (

marshmallow Marshmallow (, ) is a confectionery made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. This sugar confection is inspired by a medicina ...

sandwiched in wafers)

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.

References

External links

* {{Lutheran Divine Service Cakes Cookies Sandwich cookies Chocolate-covered foods