Poffertjes, who doesn’t love them? By now we know them as a true Dutch delicacy. Yet many wonder why we actually eat such mini pancakes. After all, how did they actually originate? Today we take you through the history of this delicious Dutch delicacy.
Poffertjes, what do we mean by them?
Poffertjes is a fairly well-known phenomenon in the Netherlands. At every major event in the Netherlands or at a braderie you can get poffertjes. Children love them, and adults also melt for this delicious delicacy.
Poffertjes is little more than a dough dish. So it is traditionally eaten in the Netherlands. They are mini pancakes. They are just a lot thicker than regular pancakes. That’s because they rise. Poffertjes are made of buckwheat flour and wheat flour, just like pancakes. What is different, however: with poffertjes, a leavening agent is used in the batter. This is usually in the form of yeast. Unlike pancakes, poffertjes can be turned over during preparation when they are not yet solidified. This makes them nicely round, and as a bonus, they are nice and soft inside.
The traditional Dutch portion
A traditional serving in the Netherlands counts about 10 to 12 pieces, served on a plate with a knob of butter in the middle and sprinkled heavily with powdered sugar. You can finish them off with delicious toppings such as ice cream, fruit, nutella, syrup, or liqueur such as advocaat.
They are also very easy to make. Poffertjes batter today is very simple: milk, pinch of salt and yeast. Those are the main ingredients. However, it often includes an egg, and there are also many ”custom recipes” that allow you to bake filled poffertjes. Very tasty! It is a dish with endless possibilities that you can make even more delicious completely to your own taste.
So, where did they come from?
Poffertjes is originally an informal nickname first found in Jan van Riebeeck’s 1651 diary for ”sackpistols,” quite a different thing. This name was first mentioned in reference to food at the 1736 Amsterdam Fair. A recipe for its preparation was then found in the handbook for ”The perfect Dutch kitchen-maid” which was first published in 1746.
The base comes from France
We know poffertjes as a typically Dutch delicacy, but what if I told you that poffertjes are not originally Dutch? In fact, poffertjes do not find their origin in the Netherlands, but in France. In fact, they were made at the end of the eighteenth century in a monastery where Hosties for the church were also made.
Due to a shortage of wheat flour, the monks started experimenting. The basis for the old Dutch poffertjes comes from here. So they were actually discovered by accident. The basis was laid in France, but poffertjes are really a Dutch dish. How exactly they came to the Netherlands from France is not entirely clear. In the Netherlands, however, they were adopted and constantly improved. So the basis was laid in France, but poffertjes really are a typically Dutch dish!
Before, they still are
This was already a ”craze” at the beginning of the 19th century. Even then they were eaten at maternity parties under the name ”kraampoffertjes”, in Overijssel ”poffertjes” were baked as rye flour cookies to celebrate that the harvest had been brought in, and in Woerden, cookies very similar to the Dutch poffertjes used to be baked by friars of monasteries. In this area, therefore, it is still called a poffertjes.
By now they are known as a quick snack that is easy to make and of course it doesn’t cost too much, but everyone still has a soft spot for them. Hence, they are mostly sold at fairs, but are also widely made at home.