Smoutebollen: A Dangerous Christmas Temptation

Christmastime in Belgium is filled with wildly delicious snacks and goodies. Belgians have a penchant for deep fryers and throw a wide variety of food into the heat such as fries, kabobs, and cervelas.

The deep fryer’s kick into high gear during festive season to includes sweet treats. The result is a myriad of delicious warm and gooey sweets that must be tried on a visit to the Christmas Market.

Brussels Christmas Market 2012

Smoutebollen

Smoutebollen, or ‘fat balls’, are a gooey dough balls that fried until golden brown and then covered in powdered sugar. They are served warm, often in a paper cone.

As tradition goes, Germanic tribes in the Netherlands made smoutebollen during Yule, which is between December 26 and January 6. According to myth, eating smoutebollen was said to protect people against the wrath of Germanic goddess Perchta. She would fly across the sky and cut open the bellies of the people she met, however her sword would slide off of those who had ate the ‘fat balls’.

Keep in mind that although smoutebollen is melt-in-your-mouth good, many of these festive treats are laden with calories.

I found this out the hard way after an evening of jolly company, beer, and smoutebollen, which resulted in a serious sugar hangover. After some quick calculations, I found out that every smoutebollen I stuffed into my mouth was actually 250 calories each! Since serving cones usually have 9 to 12 of these little (fat) monsters, it’s a good idea to share with a friend.

Beignets

Beignets are similar to smoutebollen in that they are made of the same dough recipe but they have a tasty twist! They are stuffed with a wide variety of goodies such as apple, pineapple, banana, or speculoos paste.

Surprisingly, because of the extra filling, they are less calorific than smoutebollen coming in at 190 calories per beignet. Of course, one moment of indulgence isn’t the end of the world!

During the season, it’s almost a sin not to wash down these tasty treats with a decadent hot drink such as mulled wine or hot chocolate with a splash of Gran Marnier.

Shockingly, Belgium’s obesity rate is a low 13% compared to the UK’s 25%. How do they manage to stay healthy with all the beer, wine, and smoutebollen? This is a mystery that I hope to solve during my stay in Belgium.

My last smoutebollen indulgence… mmm, so much powdered sugar!