A Brief History of Oliebollen

The humble oliebollen (literally translated to oil ball) is made from simple ingredients like sugar, flour, yeast, salt and water, but is so incredibly delicious. They have existed in some form for centuries, likely being invented by accident by a baker with an open pot of oil. There are a variety of recipes out there with different additions. Some add dried fruit, pieces of apple, raisins, currants or even chocolate chips! Whichever way you like them, do you know why it became such a new year tradition?

While the origins having oliebollen at New Year’s are not quite clear, there are a couple of ideas. The most popular one, although it’s rather gory, is that oliebollen were eaten by Germanic tribes celebrating Yule (December 26-January 6). The story goes that the evil pagan goddess Perchta would try to cut open any poor soul she came across and devour the contents of their stomach. Yuck. However, the fat in oliebollen caused Perchta’s sword to slide off of the intended victim, and so they would be safe. Still, not a story you want to share with the young ones.

It’s also a theory that Jews fleeing Portugal to the Netherlands during the Middle Ages brought the delicacy with them. A much cleaner version.

However oliebollen started, they have been around for centuries. One of the earliest mentions is in the 1667 cookbook “De Verstandige Kock” (the competent cook), where they were referred to as “oliekoecken” (oil cookie). It wasn’t until the 19^th century that the term oliebollen became popular. There is also a painting from 1652 by Aelbert Cuyp depicting a woman with a pot of oliebollen, which look very similar to the ones we have today. Most European countries have their own version of the oliebollen. In Germany, there called Berliners and contain a jam filling. Italy has the fritole, and in Serbia and Bosnia, they’re referred to as ustipci.

Whether you make your own, or purchase them, oliebollen are a true new year’s treat, enjoyed by millions of Dutch people (and others too, of course) around the world. Warm them up, sprinkle them with some powdered sugar, and dig in!

Try this recipe yourself, or if you live near our Grimsby, Ontario location order some from us!