Chokladboll
Encyclopedia
Chokladboll is a popular Swedish pastry
.
The chokladboll is usually slightly smaller than a golfball. The chokladboll consists of oatmeal
, sugar
, coffee
, cocoa
, butter
, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar
, which is mixed to a compact mass. Balls are formed and then rolled in nib sugar
, shredded coconut
, or sprinkles
. Chokladboll can be eaten immediately, but it is usually first placed in the refrigerator
for about an hour or in the freezer for those who prefer a harder variety.
Because of its simple recipe, it can be quickly made by anyone and is popular at children's parties and as homemade candy
.
ball
"), and was coined in an era when there were virtually no people of Sub-Saharan Africa
n descent (see Black people
) in Sweden. Due to its arguably offensive character by contemporary standards, the name has fallen out of favor in cooking books, for example. It is still in use in less formal circumstances though, and whether or not the word negerboll should be used has been a subject of debate in news papers and Internet blog
s. The word neger was considered neutral a few decades ago but has become controversial and today it is recommended to use other words if you have to describe someone's skin-color. (This could be compared to the English equivalent negro
.) Since the word neger is no longer considered a neutral word, many people feel that the word negerboll is not appropriate. The most common alternative is "chokladboll", although it could be considered misleading because the pastry does not contain any chocolate
(though it does contain cocoa). In the Gothenburg
area the version with shredded coconut on it is called kokosboll ("coconut ball"), Yet another name is "havreboll" (oatmeal ball), although this is mostly used for a variant that contains minor amounts of or no cocoa at all. A popular producer of the pastry, Delicato, have chosen to call it "Delicatoboll".
In 2003, a bakery owner from Sjöbo
was reported to the Swedish Ombudsman
against Ethnic Discrimination for using the word "negerbollar" on a sign in her bakery shop. However, the case was dismissed since the woman reporting it did not consider herself personally insulted.
The word chokladboll was first added to the Swedish Academy
's dictionary in 2006, before it was only to be found under negerboll. Nowadays you can find the pastry under both names but with the addition "rather use chokladboll" to the negerboll entry.
Pastry
Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder and/or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."...
.
The chokladboll is usually slightly smaller than a golfball. The chokladboll consists of oatmeal
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is ground oat groats , or a porridge made from oats . Oatmeal can also be ground oat, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats....
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, cocoa
Cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao....
, butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar
Vanilla sugar
Vanilla sugar is a commonly used ingredient of German, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Austrian, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian and other European desserts.Vanilla sugar is made of sugar, with vanilla beans or mixed with vanilla extract....
, which is mixed to a compact mass. Balls are formed and then rolled in nib sugar
Nib sugar
Nib sugar is a product of refined white sugar. The sugar is very coarse, hard, opaque white, and does not melt at temperatures typically used for baking. The product usually is made by crushing blocks of white sugar, then sifting to obtain fragments of a given diameter...
, shredded coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, or sprinkles
Sprinkles
Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionery used as a decoration or to add texture to desserts—typically cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and some puddings...
. Chokladboll can be eaten immediately, but it is usually first placed in the refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
for about an hour or in the freezer for those who prefer a harder variety.
Because of its simple recipe, it can be quickly made by anyone and is popular at children's parties and as homemade candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
.
Name
The traditional name for the pastry is negerboll ("negroNegro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
"), and was coined in an era when there were virtually no people of Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
n descent (see Black people
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
) in Sweden. Due to its arguably offensive character by contemporary standards, the name has fallen out of favor in cooking books, for example. It is still in use in less formal circumstances though, and whether or not the word negerboll should be used has been a subject of debate in news papers and Internet blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s. The word neger was considered neutral a few decades ago but has become controversial and today it is recommended to use other words if you have to describe someone's skin-color. (This could be compared to the English equivalent negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
.) Since the word neger is no longer considered a neutral word, many people feel that the word negerboll is not appropriate. The most common alternative is "chokladboll", although it could be considered misleading because the pastry does not contain any 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...
(though it does contain cocoa). In the Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
area the version with shredded coconut on it is called kokosboll ("coconut ball"), Yet another name is "havreboll" (oatmeal ball), although this is mostly used for a variant that contains minor amounts of or no cocoa at all. A popular producer of the pastry, Delicato, have chosen to call it "Delicatoboll".
In 2003, a bakery owner from Sjöbo
Sjöbo
Sjöbo is a locality and the seat of Sjöbo Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 6,364 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:Sjöbo started growing when it became a halt on the railway between Malmö and Simrishamn in the early 20th century...
was reported to the Swedish Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
against Ethnic Discrimination for using the word "negerbollar" on a sign in her bakery shop. However, the case was dismissed since the woman reporting it did not consider herself personally insulted.
The word chokladboll was first added to the Swedish Academy
Svenska Akademiens Ordlista
Svenska Akademiens ordlista, or SAOL for short, is a dictionary published every few years by the Swedish Academy. It is a single volume that is considered the final arbiter of Swedish spelling...
's dictionary in 2006, before it was only to be found under negerboll. Nowadays you can find the pastry under both names but with the addition "rather use chokladboll" to the negerboll entry.