In the Netherlands, we have a certain kind of food habits you don't find in other countries. And one of this typical food is the Oliebol. I am writing this blog because yesterdaI posted this microblog:

 

 

Because of your curiosity, I got inspired to write this blog. And I like it that you are interested! So I will share all the dark secrets about the oliebol and I hope that you will make them yourself next 31st of December so we can globalize the Oliebol!

Wel @Saori-Sam. No, it isn't meat and certainly,  It looks and tastes good. An oliebol is made out of dough.  A kind of dumpling food., which you cook in a deep fryer filled with hot sunflower oil. The dough contains flour egg, milk yeast, some baking powder and some salt.  You can also add raisins to the dough. The best way to eat it is to put too many powdered sugar on it for the best oliebol experience.

On microblog I have wrote that I did not know why we eat this, Seriously,  I don't know any better this food has been there all my life.  In the last two months of every year,  they will be sold in every corner of  the streets. You can only find them the entire years at fancy fairs or carnivals.

Well I was kind of curious so I visited my  all time favourite Wikipedia.

We eat it since the German times...(Yessssss we were germans 2000 year ago but ssssssst)  We have been eaten the oliebol since while we fought the Roman Empire.  We ate the Oliebol during the Yule.
The people believed that  goddess Pertcha  and the evil spirits would flow over their longhouses during midnight.  To please the evil spirits they had to offer some food. But because an oliebol fat it made sense that her sword would fall off her body (Prehistoric common sense).  You could compare the character of Pertha to Mother Holda or Frau Holle:

Synopsis:

A rich widow lives with her daughter and stepdaughter. The widow favored her biological daughter allowing her to become spoiled and idle while her stepdaughter was left to do all the work. Every day the stepdaughter would sit outside the cottage and spin beside the well. One day she pricked her finger on the point of the spindle. Leaning over the well to wash the blood away, the spindle fell from her hand and sank out of sight. The stepdaughter feared that she would be punished for losing the spindle, and in a panic she leapt into the well after it. To her surprise, the girl found herself in the other world of Mother Hulda where she helped bread that was burning, an apple tree needing its apples removed, and Mother Hulda herself by helping her around her house. Mother Hulda was so impressed by the girl's kindness and industry that she escorted her back to her family covered with gold.

The mother, thinking that her lazy daughter should have received the gold, sent the lazy daughter down the well to work for Mother Hulda. Copying her sister, the lazy daughter bloodied her finger and leapt into the well. But the lazy daughter refused to help the burning bread, the overladen apple tree, or Mother Hulda, and Hulda reproved her idle nature by sending her home covered with pitch. Typical dutch food.      (www. wikipedia.org)

How to make an oliebol

Nowadays we have this prefabricated mix where you only have to add water to make life easier but  we stick to the original recipe:

Ingedrients
500 g flour
1 teaspoon salt
25 g fresh or dry yeast
1/2 liter of lukewarm milk
1 egg
1 liter of vegetable oil (sunflower or peanut oil)

Necessities:
mixing bowl
mixer
Fryer (or deep frying pan)
skimmer

Dissolve the yeast in a part of the milk and let stand in a warm place until bubbles appear on the surface. Remember to warm the milk because if you do not, you will fail gigantic on your oliebollen.
The flour and salt into a bowl.
In the flour to make a hole and pour it into the yeast mixture.
The moisture from the middle stir in flour.
With the mixer the egg and the rest of the milk whisk until a smooth batter.
A filling of your choice by creating the batter. eg raisins or small pieces of apple. (We eat them with raisins) You do not have to fill the donuts but I prefer to do it or because of the sweet bite of raisin.
The bowl covered with a wet cloth in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 1 hour.
In a large pan heat one liter of oil to 180 degrees, but if you have one, it is easier to use a deep fryer.
Using two oiled spoons or an ice-cream scoop bulbs form the batter and fry it until golden brown in batches in 5-8 minutes.
Put the oliebollen on paper towels to drain.

- The oliebollen will rise so you can not make the batter well in advance. If the batter has been an hour you have to prepare the oliebollen immidiately
- You can also replace the milk with 350 ml of warm water and 150 ml of beer. Make sure the beer is at room temperature!
- Let the dough rise for too long because the donuts are too fat.
- They can be both eaten as hot and cold food. They are best eaten warm. You can reheat them in the microwave.

Every year new newspaper: Het Algemeen Dagblad will test were you can buy the best oliebollen of the country. This test has been a phenomenon for years and it very important to bakers. People will come from al over the country to stand in line for hours to get the best oliebol of the country.

I really hope that if you have the time to make you do and share your experiences. Feel free to ask if you have questions.

Regards IvyMaria