Neules

The story

Neules (neulas in Castilian Spanish), thin crisp wafers that look like a cigarette once rolled around a wooden stick, are a Catalan Christmas specialty traditionally served with turrón, half of the wider Catalan pairing “torrons i neules” that is sold together at holiday markets and in pastry shops all over Catalonia. The batter—egg whites, butter, sugar, and flour—is spread extremely thin and baked briefly on a hot plate or in a special mold, then immediately, while still hot and pliable, rolled into a cigarette or a cone before it cools and turns brittle. Their crispness and almost translucent thinness make them a delicate contrast to the denser, chewy turrón they are served with. Neules are less well known outside Catalonia than turrón, which makes them an especially cherished regional detail for Catalan families. For Catalan families in the diaspora, neules are one of the most direct ways to underline a specifically Catalan Christmas identity, and not just a generally Spanish one.