Lukken
Traditional dessert waffle from West Flanders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lukken are thin dessert waffles, traditionally made in West Flanders to celebrate the New Year and other feasts.[1][2] Lukken are made with more sugar than other traditional waffles, and since sugar was historically a luxury good, lukken were associated with the nobility and with celebrations.[1] Jules Destrooper popularized a version of lukken called "butter waffles".[1]
Description
Etymology
The term lukken is derived from the Dutch word for luck, geluk.[1][4] Traditionally, on New Year's Day, children would congratulate (luk) their godparents by offering lukken.[5] The baking of lukken became idiomatic for something that could be done quickly and simply, as in the Flemish expression Het gaat lijk lukken bakken ("it goes like baking lukken").[3]
In Belgium, lukken are sometimes called nieuwjaarswafeltjes, meaning "New Year waffles".[6][3] In the Netherlands, lukken goes by names such as ijzerkoekjes and niepertjes.[3]
History
Traditionally, lukken were produced on special "luk irons" (lukijzers) that sometimes became family heirlooms.[5][4] A museum in Bruges came into possession of one such iron, dating from the 18th century, and bearing the phrase Ik wens u een zalig nieuwjaer ("I wish you a happy New Year").[5]
When electric waffle irons were introduced, the time to bake a single lukken could be reduced from 3 minutes to 30 seconds.[7] The Gazette van Detroit, a newspaper for Belgian Americans, often advertized the sale of lukken irons around the holidays.[5]
Jules Destrooper popularized a version of lukken called "butter waffles".[1]