Things I Love As Much As Books: Krembo

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Things I Love as Much As Books
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Krembo!


In Israel you know that the winter season has arrived when boxes of krembo appear on the supermarket shelves. This popular Israeli treat is only available for a few months each year, due to the fact that it's made out of egg whites, and my kids and I always look forward to the first krembo of the season. I have fond krembo-eating memories from my childhood and I delight in my own children's pleasure in consuming this delicious, and messy, confection.

Krembos are composed of lightly whipped, vanilla flavored cream which rests on top of a round cookie, all of which is dipped in a thin layer of chocolate. Krembos are also available in mocha flavor, though the vanilla flavored are the most popular.

It is a matter of great debate as to what is the best way to eat a krembo. One opinion is that the krembo should be eaten from the cream filled top, down to cookie bottom. Others believe in eating the cookie first and then the cream. I myself, save the cookie for last though I allow my children the freedom of choosing their own path in the krembo-eating way.

Here are some interesting facts about krembo, from Wikipedia:

• The Krembo was originally invented in Denmark around 200 years ago and was brought to Israel by immigrants, in the 1940's

• The Krembo season in Israel only lasts from October to February, during which time 50 million krembos are sold, each year.

• According to a study funded by Strauss, Israel's leading krembo producer, 69% of Israelis prefer to eat krembos from the top down (starting with the cream), and only 10% start with the biscuit at the bottom

• In the Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, translator Gili Bar-Hillel translated Dumbledore's favourite sweet as a Krembo, instead of a sherbert lemon.

And at the blog, Room for Desert, I found a recipe for krembo, which the author says is very close to the original recipe used by a company that produces them. The recipe sounds delicious and I intend to give it a try some time soon to see how it compares to the store-bought krembo.