{{short description|Type of cookie in the Netherlands and Belgium}} {{Infobox food | name = Kletskop | image = Kletskoppen.jpg | caption = | alternate_name = | country = Netherlands | region = | creator = | course = | type = cookie | served = | main_ingredient = sugar, almond, butter | variations = kaaskletskop (with cheese) | calories = | other = }} A '''kletskop''' (plural: kletskoppen) is a traditional Dutch and Belgian lace cookie, characterized by its ultra-thin, crisp texture and caramelized flavor, typically made from butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts (usually almonds or peanuts).
== History == The modern name ''kletskop'' evolved from the earlier official name ''kanteling'', later nicknamed ''schorftenhoofd'' (“scurf head”), a reference to the cookie's bumpy, caramel-crusted appearance that resembled the rough texture of diseased skin of a scalp affliction common among children known as favus. This was later softened to ''kletskop'', literally "bald head" in Dutch, as the disease caused baldness.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kletskop |url=https://etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/kletskop |website=etymologiebank.nl}}</ref><ref name="Bakkenderwijs">{{cite web |title=Geschiedenis van de kletskop {{!}} Bakkenderwijs |url=https://www.bakkenderwijs.nl/geschiedenis/de-geschiedenis-van-de-kletskop/ |website=www.bakkenderwijs.nl |language=nl-NL |date=3 November 2016}}</ref>
In 16th century Dutch city of Leiden, the cookie was used as a part of the Leiden bakers’ guild master baker’s trial. The earliest known literary mention of the cookie is in a 1602 poem by Flemish writer Zacharias Heyns referencing the Leiden delicacy as ''schorftenhoofden'' (“scurf heads”). In the 19th-century Belgian towns like Bruges and Veurne also claim origin of the ''kletskop'', but Dutch records predate these.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mensink |first1=Karlijn |title=Kletskoppen: hoe komen deze koekjes aan deze naam? - Culy.nl |url=https://www.culy.nl/inspiratie/herkomst-kletskoppen/ |website=Culy |access-date=2 July 2025 |language=nl-NL |date=7 October 2020}}</ref>
==Serving== ''Kletskop'' is typically served with coffee or tea, and are also used as a decorative crisp element in desserts (e.g., ice cream, pudding).<ref>{{cite web |title=Kletskoppen |url=https://www.thedutchtable.com/2011/07/kletskoppen.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website=The Dutch Table}}</ref>
==See also== * Tuile (France) * Florentines (France/Italy)
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Dutch confectionery Category:Belgian confectionery Category:Dutch cookies