Let Them Eat…Muffin?
Muffins are not a Belgian thing.
Neither are brownies.
But we sell both of those things at the coffee kiosk (despite the fact that the company is British and brownies/muffins aren’t British things either), so occasionally I have to explain what a brownie or muffin is.
More often the muffin, since the brownie is slowly creeping onto the shelves in supermarkets.
And sometimes this is a dilemma because terminology here for baked goods is different than in the U.S.
For instance, in America, we have specific names for everything. There are the blanket terms “baked goods” and “pastries” but within those categories there are specifics like cupcakes and pies and brownies and muffins and scones. Or danish and blintzes and croissants and eclairs.
Descriptions here are often much more broad. Pretty much everything baked that isn’t “brood” (bread) or “taart” (cake) is grouped under the category of “koek” (everything else). This includes all pastries, crunchy cookies, wafer cookies, etc.
So, if I’m running to the bakery for pastries? I’m going to get “koffiekoeken.” If I’m describing a brownie then I say “het is een soort zachte chocolade koek” (it’s a sort of soft chocolate “koek”). If I’m looking for cookies I look for “koekjes.” So how exactly does one describe a muffin? It’s not flat or thin or crunchy or made of puff pastry. It’s obviously not bread and it doesn’t fit the Belgian definition of cake which is much softer and creamier than what Americans call cake.
Interestingly enough, Belgians distinguish their own cake (taart) from the spongier version, which they call “cake”. Keeping all of this in mind, can you see how, when someone comes up and asks me if the muffins are “cakeskes” (little cakes), my first instinct is to say no. Because they aren’t cakes, dammit, they’re muffins! Muffins have bits of stuff in them and they’re considered acceptable as breakfast food and they don’t have icing.
But they’re baked and spongy and don’t fit into the bread or taart categories…
So in the end, I give up.
“Ja,” I say, “da’s zo een cakeske.” (Yes, that’s a little cake)
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Ah, but people in Britain do eat a lot of muffins and brownies. Usually served in little plastic packets next to the more appetising looking ‘proper cakes’.
I think muffins are a lot like little cakes, I don’t see much difference?
I agree with Jientje….muffins are from all the categories you name closest to cake. Or in between cake & bread really. And yeah, I’m not a muffin fan unless they are really moist and full of fruit.
And I miss our koffiekoeken when I am abroad. Never seen such a vast amount of choice abroad (probably because I do overlook brownies, muffins, scones and donuts as I don’t feel like eating those). But mmmm a boterkoek met rozijnen, or a Suisse or an Acht, or een crèmekoek. Oh yes and a Boule de Berlin mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (yes I love everything with vanilla creme in it, except for an eclair). Most of all I love an appelflap. Not with sugar on it, just a plane simple appelflap. With apples of course, no other fillings please.
oh by the way, I always translate “taart” with pie instead of cake. Is that wrong?
I almost died when I read brownies aren’t a Belgium thing. What is wrong with the world?!
Haha! I just came across your blog and I’m really enjoying it. I also have a hard time explaining muffins. They especially don’t understand the difference between a muffin and a cupcake, and why a muffin is acceptable for breakfast. Cupcakes are just becoming the new thing here in Brussels, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I usually just give up and say they’re basically the same. sigh…
Don’t most of the American baked goods come from somewhere else? You could say, American Breakfast cake…? Just wondering, but are there different names for chocolate or cheese?
And I love that picture of you at work…!