The traditional Dutch New Year’s Eve meal featuring deep-fried dough balls is called oliebollen.
Oliebollen, whose name means “oil balls,” are round pieces of enriched dough deep-fried in oil. They may contain raisins, currants, or pieces of apple and are commonly dusted with powdered sugar before serving. Dutch families and street vendors especially associate them with the winter holiday season and New Year celebrations.
The food is usually eaten as a snack rather than as a formal multi-course meal. Temporary oliebollenkramen, or oliebollen stalls, appear in Dutch towns during the colder months, giving the treat a strong seasonal presence.
Oliebollen resemble Belgian smoutebollen and are related in broad culinary form to other fried dough foods. They should not be confused with poffertjes, which are small fluffy pancakes, or bitterballen, which are savory croquettes. The singular form is oliebol.