The Dutch doughnut-shaped fried pastry traditionally eaten in the Netherlands at New Year is called an oliebol.
Oliebollen are made from a yeast-based dough that commonly contains flour, eggs, milk, and sometimes raisins or currants. Portions of dough are dropped into hot oil and fried until golden, then usually covered with powdered sugar before serving.
The name literally means “oil ball,” describing the pastry’s cooking method and rounded shape. Although modern oliebollen are strongly associated with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, related fried dough traditions have older European roots.
Oliebollen are often compared with doughnuts, but they are usually irregularly rounded rather than ring-shaped. Their traditional Dutch form is also distinct from stroopwafels, which are thin waffle cookies joined with syrup, and poffertjes, which are small puffy pancakes.