What is the traditional New Year’s Eve pastry eaten in the Netherlands?

The traditional New Year’s Eve pastry eaten in the Netherlands is oliebollen.

Oliebollen are deep-fried balls of yeast-leavened dough, usually dusted with powdered sugar. They may contain raisins, currants, or chopped apple, although recipes differ between families and regions. Dutch households commonly eat them around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The name literally means “oil balls,” referring to the cooking method rather than a special filling. Temporary oliebollenkramen, or oliebollen stalls, appear in Dutch towns during the winter holiday season, and bakeries sell them in large numbers as December 31 approaches.

Oliebollen are related to other European fried dough traditions, but their precise historical development is debated. Popular explanations connect them with older Germanic midwinter customs or with medieval Jewish fried pastries. They should not be confused with poffertjes, which are small, fluffy pancakes cooked in special molds rather than balls deep-fried in oil.