Speculoos
Speculoos (Belgian variant) | |
| Type | Biscuit |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Belgium (speculoos) Netherlands (speculaas) |
| Associated cuisine | Belgian cuisine; Dutch cuisine |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon; Speculoos: sugar syrup; Speculaas: granulated sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, white pepper; sometimes mace, ginger, coriander |
| Variations | Biscuits: thin biscuits; molded figures; chunky speculaas (thicker biscuits); stuffed speculaas (filled with almond paste); bread toppings: speculoos spread; schuddebuikjes (small speculaas crumbs) |
| Other information | Regional terminology and spice mixtures differ; see Terminology section |
Speculoos (Dutch: [speːkyˈloːs] ⓘ; French: spéculoos [spekylos]; German: Spekulatius [ʃpekuˈlaːtsi̯ʊs] ⓘ or Karamellgebäck [kaʁaˈmɛlɡəˌbɛk]), known as speculaas in the Netherlands (Dutch: [speːkyˈlaːs] ⓘ or biscoff (/ˈbɪs.kɒf/ BISS-koff) internationally, is a biscuit, with origins in the Low Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands), baked with speculaas spices, which is a mix of cinnamon, and sometimes other spices: nutmeg, clove, ginger, cardamom and black pepper — the actual spice mix varies by region and manufacturer. They are usually flat, crisp and moulded to carry certain traditional images. Historically it was popular to eat speculoos around the feast of Saint Nicholas (Dutch: Sinterklaas). The oldest sources on speculoos also mention weddings and fairs. However, it has become normal to eat speculoos all year round, especially with coffee or tea, or with ice cream. Speculoos stuffed with almond paste (Dutch: gevulde speculaas) and the thicker speculoos chunks (Dutch: speculaasbrokken) remain a Christmas specialty in the Low Countries.
Apart from Belgium and the Netherlands, it is also well known in adjacent areas in Luxembourg, northern France, and in the west of Germany (Westphalia and the Rhineland). It gained popularity in the former Yugoslav countries, where it is manufactured by the Croatian food company Koestlin. The cookie can also be found in Indonesia and is usually served there at Christmas or on other special occasions. The biscuits have become internationally popular. By the 2020s, in Flanders, the speculoos name is sometimes used in place of the traditional speculaas name.