Monday, March 24, 2008
:Belgian Biscuits:
I made Belgian biscuits for the boys the other day - well, Belgian bears - which got me thinking...are Belgian biscuits actually Belgian? And then I remembered that I know a Belgian I could ask - so I emailed Lies of Anemone and asked her. I also had in mind the funny email exchange between Kimberlee and Nikki about Lemon Meringue Pie:
“Lies - I made a classic NZ recipe from the Edmonds cookbook last week called ‘Belgian Biscuits’ - they are dark, very spicy biscuits - you put two together with jam in the middle and then ice them with pink icing.
I was wondering if there is anything remotely ‘Belgian’ about these bicuits? 
Does this resemble anything from Belgium?? I know when I was in Holland, coffee came with a small spicy biscuit on the saucer...”
And being the good sort she is, she replied:
“Well...what I definitely can confirm is that we gobble them in large quantities back in B. My mum is addicted to them. We call them ‘speculaasjes’ (I need to find out why) and not Belgian biscuits (but that kinda stands to reason eh). Both my gandmother and mum have made them themselves (and not bought them) thousands of times! Interesting detail : we only eat them as the dark spicy bicky WITHOUT the jam in the middle or the icing, but with thin slices of almond in the mixture, so yup that would be a bit like the one you had in Holland! I had the ones you call ‘Belgian biscuits’ here in Auckland a couple of times, and yum yum but much more sugarry than the ones back home. Dunno why they are called Belgian, how can we find out? I MUST get the family recipe - will Email my dad (mother is not computer savvy) about that tonight. will get back to you on that.”
Hopefully she will post her family recipe on her blog sometime - because I lurve speculaajes and would really like to perfect making them! Thanks Lies!
