hagelslag

English

Dark-chocolate hagelslag sprinkles on buttered bread

Etymology

From Dutch hagelslag.

Noun

hagelslag (uncountable)

1. Small, oblong, sweet-tasting chocolate granules, which are sprinkled on slices of buttered bread or rusks.
   • 1993, Christopher Hunt, “Food and drink”, in Focus on Holland, new edition, London: Evans Brothers Limited, →ISBN, page 12, columns 1–2:

     There are also many types of sweet spreads. Dutch children are especially fond of hagelslag, small strands of milk or plain chocolate that are scattered onto white bread and butter.

   • 2011, “About Our Writers”, in Niels Carels, Karina Hof, Steve Korver, Steven McCarron, Ann Maher, Tim Skelton, Amsterdam & the Netherlands, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Fodor’s Travel Publications, →ISBN, →ISSN, column 1:

     When Karina Hof left her native New Amsterdam in 2003, she thought it would be just for a year. Two master’s degrees, two half-marathons, and too many boxes of hagelslag later, she’s still covering the Lowlands.

   • 2016, Michael Zee, “Ontbijt: A Dutch Breakfast”, in SymmetryBreakfast: Cook, Love, Share, London: Bantam Press, →ISBN, section 11 (Not Quite Continental: Norway, Italy, Austria, Algeria, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark), page 203:

     This is not a recipe, but an exercise in true happiness. Toast your bread and butter generously whilst it is still hot. Sprinkle with a thick layer of hagelslag (the De Ruijter brand is the best) and eat immediately.

Further reading

• hagelslag on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Dutch

hagelslag

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hagelslach (“severe hailstorm”). Equivalent to hagel (“hail”) +‎ slag (“blow, hit”). As a term for a type of sweet, it originally referred to elongated white aniseed sprinkles as they were thought to resemble falling hail; this sense was subsequently widened as other varieties entered the market.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦaː.ɣəlˌslɑx/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ha‧gel‧slag

Noun

hagelslag m (uncountable)

1. hundreds and thousands, sprinkles (elongated and often made of chocolate); jimmies [from early 20th c.]

   Synonyms: hagel, hagelkorrel, muizenstrontjes

2. hailstorm, particularly a severe one

Derived terms

• chocoladehagelslag

Descendants

• → English: hagelslag