Pfeffernüsse
Encyclopedia
Pfeffernüsse are small, firm, round biscuits, sometimes with ground nuts.
The name translates to pepper nuts in German
, Danish
and Dutch
, describing their spicy taste as well as the fact that many recipes actually call for almonds or walnuts. Bahlsen
's pfeffernüsse has no added nuts.
Despite the name they do not necessarily contain black pepper
.
Pepernoten are originally a Dutch treat, baked during 'Sinterklaas
', a feast on 5 December (6 December in Belgium and Germany) on which little children receive gifts from the holy St. Nicholas, the partial inspiration for Santa Claus
. In Germany, Pfeffernüsse are traditionally made during the Christmas
season.
Recipes often call for the dough to be rounded into a ball. Today they are sometimes produced with a chocolate
base.
Like most baked goods, there are many variations of pfeffernüsse. While most recipes call for cloves and cinnamon
, some also use nutmeg
or anise
. A Danish recipe for pebernødder requires white pepper, while most recipes don't use pepper at all. Some versions of pfeffernüsse contain pecans, ginger
, or cardamom
.
Pfeffernüsse are extremely hard when they are first baked. For at least a week, it is difficult to bite into them without first dunking into a beverage. However, they soften with age.
In Germany
they are also known as "Pimpernüsse" in some places, and are traditionally given out at Martinisingen
.
They are very popular at church concert receptions, especially around Christmas time.
Pfeffernüsses are often confused with Russian tea cake
s because they are a similar shape and are both generally covered in powdered sugar, but Pfeffernüsses are much more bitter due to their less refined ingredients.
The name translates to pepper nuts in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, describing their spicy taste as well as the fact that many recipes actually call for almonds or walnuts. Bahlsen
Bahlsen
Bahlsen is a German food company based in Hanover. It was founded in July 1889 by Hermann Bahlsen as the Hannoversche Keksfabrik H. Bahlsen. The family of founder Hermann Bahlsen, led by his grandson Werner Bahlsen, continues to control the company...
's pfeffernüsse has no added nuts.
Despite the name they do not necessarily contain black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
.
Pepernoten are originally a Dutch treat, baked during 'Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...
', a feast on 5 December (6 December in Belgium and Germany) on which little children receive gifts from the holy St. Nicholas, the partial inspiration for Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. In Germany, Pfeffernüsse are traditionally made during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season.
Recipes often call for the dough to be rounded into a ball. Today they are sometimes produced with a chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
base.
Like most baked goods, there are many variations of pfeffernüsse. While most recipes call for cloves and cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, some also use nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
or anise
Anise
Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...
. A Danish recipe for pebernødder requires white pepper, while most recipes don't use pepper at all. Some versions of pfeffernüsse contain pecans, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, or cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
.
Pfeffernüsse are extremely hard when they are first baked. For at least a week, it is difficult to bite into them without first dunking into a beverage. However, they soften with age.
In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
they are also known as "Pimpernüsse" in some places, and are traditionally given out at Martinisingen
Martinisingen
Martinisingen is an old Protestant custom which is found especially in East Friesland, but also on the Lüneburg Heath and in other parts of North and East Germany. It also goes under the names of Martini or Martinssingen and the Low German names of Sünnematten or Mattenherrn...
.
They are very popular at church concert receptions, especially around Christmas time.
Pfeffernüsses are often confused with Russian tea cake
Russian tea cake
A Russian tea cake is a kind of pastry, commonly eaten around Christmas in both Russia and the United States. It is a form of jumble, a pastry common in Middle Ages England...
s because they are a similar shape and are both generally covered in powdered sugar, but Pfeffernüsses are much more bitter due to their less refined ingredients.