Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox prepared food | name = Speculoos | image = File:Spekulatius four pieces of.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Speculoos: [[ship]], [[farmhouse]], [[elephant]], [[horse]] | alternate_name = | country = [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]] | region = | course = | served = | type = Biscuit | main_ingredient = [[Flour]], sugar, butter, [[black pepper|pepper]], [[cinnamon]], [[ginger]], [[cloves]], [[cardamom]], [[nutmeg]] | variations = | calories = | other = }} [[File:Speculaaskruiden.jpeg|right|thumb|Speculoos spices: pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg]] '''Speculoos''' (Dutch: ''Speculaas'' {{IPA-nl|speːkyˈlaːs}}, French: ''spéculoos'', German: ''Spekulatius'') is a type of spiced [[shortcrust pastry|shortcrust]] [[biscuit]], traditionally baked for consumption on or just before [[Sinterklaas|St Nicholas' feast]] in the [[Netherlands]] (December 5), [[Belgium]] (December 6),<ref>[http://www.brussels-belgium-travel-guide.com/speculoos.html Discover the Belgian Speculoos Cookie]</ref> and around Christmas in the western and southern parts of Germany. Speculoos are thin, very crunchy, slightly browned and, most significantly, have some image or figure (often from the traditional stories about St. Nicholas) stamped on the front side before baking; the back is flat. Speculoos dough does not rise much. Dutch and Belgian versions are baked with light brown (beet) sugar and baking powder. German {{lang|de|Spekulatius}} uses [[ammonium carbonate|baker's ammonia]] as leavening agent. Spices used in speculoos are [[cinnamon]], [[nutmeg]], [[cloves]], [[ginger]], [[cardamom]] and [[black pepper#White pepper|white pepper]]. Traditionally, ''speculaas'' were made from rye and the name ''speculoos'' was coined for Belgian wheat flour cookies with hardly any spices. Nowadays most Speculoos versions are made from white (wheat) flour, brown sugar, butter and spices. Some varieties use some almond flour and have slivered almonds embedded in the bottom. Some Belgian varieties use less or no spice. To make the dough, butter, sugar and spices are combined. The flour and leavening agent are mixed separately and then added. Bakers carefully ensure the dough doesn't heat too quickly. The dough is stored in a cool place overnight to give the spices time to permeate the dough and add extra flavor. ==Name== There are several interpretations for the origins of the name ''Speculoos''. It may derive from [[Latin language|Latin]] ''speculum'', which means ''mirror'', and refer to the fact that the images are cut as a mirrored [[bas-relief]] into a wooden stamp which is then used to decorate the Speculoos. Another explanation of the name refers to the Latin word ''speculator'' which, among other meanings, could also refer to a [[bishop]] or St Nicholas' epithet "he who sees everything". ''Specerij'', the Dutch word for ''spice'', is another possible origin. ==Local varieties== The [[Belgium|Belgian]] city of [[Hasselt]] is known for a local variety of speculoos. On January 13, 1870 Antonie Deplée, a baker from Hasselt, acquired a license for Hasselt speculoos: "une espèce de pain d'amandes connu sous le nom de spéculation" (A kind of almond "bread" known under the name ''spéculation''.) He sold this version locally and abroad. The [[Germany|German]] '''Spekulatius''', traditional in [[Westphalia]] and the [[Rhineland]], is of the same origin and is very similar. It is popular throughout the country around Christmas and usually not available at other times of the year. ==Spread or paste variant== By 2007, several Belgian and Dutch companies began marketing a paste variant of speculoos, now available worldwide under various brands and names: as ''Speculla'', ''Cookie Butter'', ''Biscoff Spread''. As a form of "spreadable Speculoos cookies, the flavor is caramelized and gingerbread-like with a color similar to [[peanut butter]]<ref name="cbutter">{{cite web| title = Speculoos Cookie Butter |publisher = Trader Joe's|quote = Speculoos Cookie Butter is, in its most simplistic terms, spreadable Speculoos cookies. Speculoos cookies are classic Belgian cookies with great crunch, and a slightly caramelized, almost-but-not-quite-gingerbread flavor. After the cookies are baked to a fabulous finish, they’re crushed into a fine powder and mixed with magical ingredients (read: vegetable oils) and turned into a smooth, spreadable substance we call Cookie Butter. It resembles peanut butter in color and consistency.|url = http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=561}}</ref> and a consistency ranging from creamy to granular or crunchy. The spread consists of 60% crushed speculoos cookies along with vegetable oils.<ref name="cbutter"/><ref name="war2"/> It developed in the area of Europe centered on [[Eeklo, Belgium]], where local workers had long known that a sandwich made in the morning with butter and speculoos cookies would develop a spread-like consistency by lunchtime.{{not in source|date=September 2015}}<ref name="war2"/> In 2008, two competitors entered a contest on the Belgian television show, ''The Inventors (de Bedenkers)'', with a spread made from speculoos cookies<ref name="war2">{{cite web| title = A Cookie Paste Squeezed in the Middle of a Debate| publisher = New York Times, Steven Castle, February 15, 2011| quote = In an earlier era, blue-collar workers used speculoos as a sandwich filling (cheaper than cheese or meat) between pieces of buttered bread. By lunchtime the cookies would have softened into a paste.| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/dining/16cookies.html?_r=0}}</ref><ref name="revoked"/> &mdash; Els Scheppers, who reached the semi finals, and the team of chef Danny De Mayer and Dirk De Smet, who weren't selected as finalists. Spreads made from crushed Speculoos cookies would subsequently go into production by three separate companies, and by the time they arrived in Belgian supermarkets, Speculoos spread caused a sensation,<ref name="war2"/> taking the "[[Benelux]] market by storm."<ref name="revoked"/> The companies manufacturing the spread were Biscuiterie Willems, Vermeiren Princeps and Lotus Bakeries of Belgium &mdash; with Lotus Bakeries subsequently claiming exclusive rights, having purchased the recipe from contestant Scheppers of the television competition.<ref name="war2"/> The two competitors, Scheppers as well as De Mayer & De Smet, had presented nearly identical speculoos-based spread recipes, with the latter claiming to hold a patent.<ref name="revoked"/> De Mayer/DeSmet's recipe was marketed beginning in November 2007 as ''Speculla,'' and Scheppers recipe by Lotus Bakeries arrived in early spring 2008 as ''Speculoospasta.'' Lotus subsequently also purchased the De Mayer/De Smet patent. A two-year patent battle ensued between Lotus and Biscuiterie Willems<ref name="revoked"/> and in January 2011, Lotus Bakeries' patent was nullified<ref name="war2"/><ref>[http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/economie/1.945234 "Lotus heeft geen alleenrecht op speculoospasta"]. ''De Redactie'', 20 Jan 2011</ref> by the Commercial Court of Ghent (Belgium),<ref name="revoked">{{cite web| title = Belgian’s popular bread spread not longer protected| publisher = [[Wolters Kluwer]] Law and Business, February 2011| url = http://kluwerpatentblog.com/2011/02/02/belgian%E2%80%99s-popular-bread-spread-not-longer-protected/}}</ref> which discovered the recipe had been posted on an internet website, ''Oma Wapsie (Grandma Wapsie),'' since 2002.<ref name="Grandma">{{cite web| title = Lotus loses patentcase on Speculoospasta| publisher = NL Ministry of Economic Affairs, Patent Office, February 2011| url = http://en.octrooicentrum.nl/component/content/article/25-nieuws-2011/583-n-2011-02-24-01.html}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=dmf20110120_029 Oma Wapsie is de echte bedenker van speculaaspasta], [[Het Nieuwsblad]], 20 januari 2011</ref> ==See also== {{portal|Food}} * [[Springerle]], a thicker, anise-flavoured, moulded Christmas cookie from Germany * [[Ginger biscuits]] * [[Cookie butter]] Is not one of the Baskin Robins flavors! ==References== {{reflist|2}} [[Category:Biscuits (British style)]] [[Category:Almond cookies]]<!-- both cookie cats b/c not always almond --> [[Category:Dutch confectionery]] [[Category:Dutch words and phrases]] [[Category:Christmas food]] [[Category:Belgian cuisine]]'