Whatsit Wednesday: “Hagelslag” - it’s hailing!

From the name, one might think that “hagelslag” had something to do with the weather. In a country where the weather is often the topic of conversation, this would be a good guess. Talking about the weather is something that everyone in the Netherlands (and Belgium) does. Complaining about talking about the weather is the other thing that most will do. 

But “hagelslag” has nothing to do with the weather. The literal meaning is “hail strike” or some such. But hagelslag is mostly reserved for a delicious meal (if you are Dutch). It involves bread, some butter and a typical open-faced sandwich. And hagelslag of course. Hagelslag comes in various colors. It can even be licorice flavored. In a slightly different form (little mice) it is used specifically for celebrating the birth of a child, when it shows if you have had a boy or girl (and in Belgium this is reversed!). 

But I am getting ahead of myself. What is hagelslag? It is (usually) chocolate sprinkles. It can be dark chocolate or milt chocolate or white chocolate. As mentioned there is a licorice version (which is white. And there is a multi-colored version, although older people will consider this quite modern. “In my day hagelslag was simply chocolate” you might hear them say. 

The “muisjes” or little mice are not chocolate at all, but are more like a candy. They are only blue or pink and are put on a sort of cracker  and passed out to guests to celebrate the birth of your son or daughter. But hagelslag can be eaten on any day, although most often only for lunch, or maybe breakfast. A slice of bread is lightly spread with butter and then generously covered with hagelslag. This is eaten open-faced and all of the sprinkles that fall off onto the plate are gathered and eaten as well. 

What do you put on your bread for lunch? What kind of sandwiches have you experienced before? Have you ever had hagelslag?

Where oh Where Wednesday: Christmas markets

When we lived in the US one of the things we experienced were “Christmas in July” sales. Mind you, the real Christmas sales would not start until after Thanksgiving (on Black Friday, of course). Buut I knew plenty of people who started playing their Christmas music in July. 

In the Netherlands and surrounding countries (Belgium, Germany and France) what we see sprouting at a certain time are Christmas markets. Every self-respecting city fills their market squares with little wooden huts bursting with what someone somewhere decided were things people want to purchase around Christmas time. This includes hats and mittens and socks and little beautiful things to put on a shelf somewhere or hang in your Christmas tree. 

There are multiple wooden huts selling mulled wine and hot chocolate, as well as beer (depending on which country you are in). There are huts with pancakes or “oliebollen (deep-fried pancake batter in the shape of balls), wieners or pea soup. The smell of supposedly handmade chocolates (especially in Belgium) or candies waft along the walkways, pulling hungry noses into the sale. 

There is of course music playing everywhere. Most of it will be the known secular Christmas tunes, but sometimes, especially now, there might simply be an AI generated beat and sound that sounds “Christmassy”. But there are plenty of people to walk between the huts, smelling and listening and enjoying. 

The market in Maastricht has a giant wheel looking over the market and the ice-skating rink. I recently took part in a choir singing what is considered the oldest Christmas song - “Transeamus”. Together with many others from the city and surrounding villages, I joined the Mastreechter Staar - a famous men’s choir. But I usually do not frequent the market in Maastricht. 

On Shirley’s birthday we visited Antwerp, Belgium, where we first lived when we moved here. As in Maastricht, they had a large wheel, but this one was at the train station and purported to give a view of the whole city. The Christmas market was downtown by the cathedral and city hall. The state of Brabo (throwing the giant’s hand) looked down at all of the commotion below him. 

In past years we have visited Sean in Brussels and walked along the market there. This one is unique - not in what it sells, but in how it is set up. Brussels has several market areas in the center of the city which they connect into one larger Christmas market. So while the humongous Christmas tree is on the “Grand Place”, most of the market is elsewhere in the city. 

We have also visited the market in Aken, Germany in years past, which confirmed what we had already come to know - these markets seem to be made up of the same people traveling from city to city. This of course is not possible, since they are all stationed in these cities at the same time. Still, everything looks quite familiar. We have not yet visited the market in Cologne, Germany or in York, England, but something tells me we would recognize it. 

What is nice to experience are the smiles on some of the peoples’ faces who are walking around the markets. Many are stressed, trying to get those last gifts or trying to have fun while dragging from one wooden hut to the next. But some people’s eyes simply light up. Some are simply looking into one another’s eyes and smiling. They are using this places to be together. And that is very nice to see. We have usually enjoyed our times at these markets because we are together, sharing time with one another. 

What are the things you enjoy the most about the places you go during the holidays? 

(You can see some of our pictures from our walks in Mechelen and Antwerp this year here.)

Whatsit Wednesday: Pralines

Delicious. That is what Belgian chocolate is. Every year that I go to ABSS (Advanced Bible Study Series) in Germany, a small argument of sorts kicks off again between the Belgians and the Swiss. We (the Belgians) of course know that we have the best chocolate. The Swiss think that they have the best chocolate. There Germans, Dutch and Americans simply watch and listen, knowing that they do not even come close. 

But it is the Belgians who have praline. You might know it from a store selling specialty chocolates in the shape of “sea fruit”, like sea horses and shells. They are often a marble mix of milk chocolate and white chocolate and they are filled with a smooth cream-like filling - praline. This was first developed by Jean Neuhaus II and brought to market in 1912. Some may know these chocolates as ‘bonbons”. But Belgian praline is much different than the cookie-like sweet with nuts in it found sometimes in the US. 

The praline filling is based on hazelnuts. Other fillings can be based in cream or even marzipan or a liqueur. They come in all shapes and are good for any occasion. If one is visiting a friend or meeting someone new, a box of pralines is always a good gift, especially for those who might not appreciate flowers. When you don’t know what to buy someone as a gift, a box of pralines will always do nicely. They come in white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate and include nuts for those who enjoy them. 

Neuhaus is still one of the major houses known in Belgium and around the world for their chocolates. Others include Godiva, Guylian and Leonidas. Belgians were able to really get into chocolate because of their link with Congo where they had a ready supply of cacao beans. Belgian chocolate is required to have at least 30% cacao butter to be called chocolate. Many other “chocolates” have far less chocolate (cacao butter) and therefore taste waxy or simply sweet. 

Every two weeks I visit a lady of 93 years in a nursing home who has finally figured out that I do not eat cookies (I am gluten intolerant). Now she always makes sure that there is some chocolate (dark chocolate is my favorite, and she knows this) or some pralines. For her birthday I was sent to a special chocolatier (a store that only deals in chocolates) to get a box of pralines for her guests and the nurses. This store deals only with the best, including American presidents, French potentates and local big-wigs. 

Whatsit Wednesday - Chocolate

“Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.” One of many memes or sayings you can find about chocolate. When chocolate is brought up in the US, it most often has to do with hot chocolate or chocolate chip cookies or some kind of syrup put on ice cream. Nobody is happy when the bite into a chocolate chip cookie and find out that it is actually an oatmeal raisin cookie. 

But if you want chocolate, Belgium is the place to be. The Netherlands has its own storied past as well - putting chocolate spread and chocolate sprinkles on bread - but it is Belgium that continues its love and obsession to this day. Chocolate comes from cacao beans, after all, which come from Congo, which was a Belgian colony. So it seems the Belgians colonized Africa for chocolate. I think most chocolate lovers can understand that perfectly. 

In Belgium, chocolate means pralines. Pralines come in a box. They are all shapes and sizes. They can be milk, white or pure and can come with gooey insides or smooth insides. Brand names like Leonidas, Guylian (the seashells and sea horses), Neuhaus (in Grand Central Station NY) and Godiva offer premium chocolate. You can even go to a special store to buy chocolates - a ‘chocolatey”. Mind you, for a Belgian, not just anything can be called chocolate. 

Years ago, a newspaper revealed that Cadbury’s was not made with cocoa butter. It was basically a bunch of sugar. Belgians were incensed. In 2007 Hershey and Nestle tried to convince the FDA in the US to allow them to use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter and still call their product “chocolate”. 

So Belgians can be chocolate snobs, which is fine with me. I am one of those people who only likes dark chocolate - called “pure” here. I do not consider white chocolate to be chocolate and milk chocolate makes my tummy do loops. But dark chocolate (pure! Yummmm) just makes the day better. What do you like best and what do you consider a chocolate treat?