Krumkake

The story

Krumkake are thin wafers imprinted with a rose or snowflake pattern, baked in a special two-plate iron and then, while still hot and pliable, rolled around a wooden cone into a cornet shape. They are one of the “sju slag,” the seven kinds of cookies that old custom says should be on the table for a Norwegian Christmas, a tradition believed to date from the second half of the 19th century, when sugar and wheat flour became easier to come by and an abundance of baked goods became the mark of a well-off homemaker. Krumkake are often filled with sweetened cream just before serving so the wafer doesn't go soft. The iron itself, frequently engraved with dates or initials, passes from generation to generation as part of the household equipment, and many Norwegian American families still keep the one that crossed the ocean with their ancestors. For the diaspora, krumkake are often the first cookie children learn to make, because the process is almost a game: spoon in the batter quickly, press, count to a certain number, and roll, all in rhythm.