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Where is Hagelslag from?

Author

Penelope Carter

Updated on February 22, 2026

Where is Hagelslag from?

According to the Amsterdam City Archives, hagelslag was first invented by B.E. Dieperink, director of the liquorice sweet company VENCO, in 1919. He came upon the idea of making brittle, white aniseed-flavoured sprinkles and using them as a bread topping during a hailstorm on a bleak autumn day, apparently.

Likewise, people ask, what do the Dutch call sprinkles?

In the Netherlands, hagelslag refers to small pieces of confectionery, similar to sprinkles, that are used as a topping for buttered bread.

Secondly, do Dutch people like chocolate? Moreover, what worries me the most, the Dutch love to snack on sugary chocolate bars, cookies (common stroopwafles – a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling), waffles, crisps and candies. I was indulging myself in these yummy caramel waffles every day!

Then, why do the Dutch eat sprinkles on toast?

Hagelslag means hailstorm in Dutch, and when you top your buttered toast with a hailstorm of chocolate sprinkles, you've got the breakfast dreams are made of.

Why is it called Hagelslag?

Hagelslag gets its name from its resemblance to hail and doesn't just refer to the chocolate variety of the sprinkles, which are particularly popular. The name refers to the sandwich topping in all its varieties and flavours.

What is traditional Dutch food?

Traditionally, Dutch cuisine is simple and straightforward, with many vegetables and little meat: breakfast and lunch are typically bread with toppings like cheese, while dinner is meat and potatoes, supplemented with seasonal vegetables. During the 20th century, Dutch cuisine and diet changed.

What is a traditional Dutch breakfast?

Breakfast usually consists of sliced bread with any of the following toppings: appelstroop, cheese, cold meats, jam, honey, hazelnut-chocolate spread or sweet sprinkles, known as hagelslag (the type you would normally put on your cake: in chocolate, aniseed or fruit flavors).

How do the Dutch toast?

Luckily it's fairly simple: Dutch men toast by clinking their glasses or bottles and saying proost (health). It's crucial, however, that you look your drinking companion in the eye just as your glasses make contact even if you don't want to flirt or pull a bank job together.

What is Dutch Hagel?

As it turns out, the Dutch eat those little chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread and call it hagelslag (which means hail storm). And it's not just for kids!

How long does hagelslag last?

Sprinkles last for 3-5 years beyond the "best by" date stamped on the container, this is if they have been handled properly. The shelf life of sprinkles depends on the production date or the best before date and how the sprinkles are stored.

Which country eats chocolate for breakfast?

Giving chocolate to kids for breakfast seems like a bad idea, and yet it's working amazingly well for the Dutch. A 2014 study by Oxfam put the Netherlands at the top of the list for having the most plentiful, nutritious, healthy and affordable diet, out of 125 countries.

Who came up with fairy bread?

Fairy bread is native to Australia — something we can all be very proud of. It supposedly came about when a Scottish-born novelist named Robert Louis Stevenson published a poem way back in 1885 detailing “fairy bread to eat.â€

What do other countries call sprinkles?

Sprinkles have many names in many countries. In England, they are called “hundreds and thousands.†In Holland, they go by hagelslag. By most accounts, sprinkles were invented by French bakers in the 18th Century and called nonpareils.

Who invented chocolate sprinkles?

Sprinkles can also be traced back to 1936, when Gerard de Vries invented Dutch hagelslag (sprinkles) for Venz, a Dutch company.

When were chocolate sprinkles invented?

The first recorded usage of sprinkles was in the 18th century, but were probably used before then to decorate pièces montées and desserts. Sprinkles can also be traced back to 1936, when Gerard de Vries invented Dutch hagelslag (sprinkles) for Venz, a Dutch company.

Why is Dutch food so bad?

Dutch food is bad because the Netherlands was a colonizer for ages and they adopted other cultures cuisines. In the Netherlands, you can find food from all over the world. In Amsterdam live 180 different nationalities and in the Netherlands, there are people from almost 200 different countries.

Why do the Dutch give chocolate letters?

Nowadays, these yummy letters are made of chocolate. However, that has not always been the case with this tradition. It has Germanic roots, and comes from a time when a rune letter was made of bread and given to new-born children. It was a symbol for good fortune.

What are Dutch chocolate letters?

Chocolate letters are a form of candy associated with the Dutch holiday of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). Celebrants of the Sinterklaas celebration are traditionally given their initials made out of chocolate.

Which country is it a tradition to hand out chocolate initials on Christmas Eve?

Dutch

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Where is Hagelslag from?