Indulgences

1. bearenburch

   Bearenburch (Frisian herbal spirit)

   Usage

   A distilled spirit infused with herbs, around 30% alcohol. In Dutch it is berenburg, but Frisian writes bearenburch. A single small glass is in bearenburchje

   Grammar Note

   Bearenburchje is the diminutive and means one small glass. In the Netherlands you must be 18 to buy alcohol

2. Dokkumer kofje

   Dokkumer kofje (coffee with bearenburch)

   Usage

   Hot coffee with a dash of bearenburch, topped with whipped cream. It contains alcohol. The adjective Dokkumer is built from Dokkum

   Grammar Note

   Adding -er to a town name gives an adjective meaning "of that town". Dokkumer is capitalised because it comes from a proper name

3. Us Heit

   Us Heit (beer brewed in Boalsert)

   Usage

   A beer brand brewed by the Frisian brewery in Boalsert. It contains alcohol. The name is Frisian for "our father"

   Grammar Note

   It is a proper name, so keep its spelling

4. bier

   Beer

   Usage

   Frisian uses the same word bier as Dutch. The article is it (it bier). Fryslân has its own beers too

   Grammar Note

   A small glass is a bierke, the diminutive

5. jenever

   Jenever (juniper spirit)

   Usage

   A juniper-flavoured spirit and the ancestor of gin. Frisian spells it jenever, as in Dutch. The article is de

   Grammar Note

   A loanword spelled as in Dutch

6. whisky

   Whisky

   Usage

   A loanword from English; the Frisian spelling is whisky

   Grammar Note

   The spelling is the same as in English

7. likeur

   Liqueur

   Usage

   A sweet, flavoured spirit. The Frisian spelling is likeur

   Grammar Note

   A loanword from French with a Frisianised spelling

8. oaljebol

   Oaljebol (Dutch doughnut ball)

   Usage

   A deep-fried dough ball eaten around New Year. A New Year's Eve (âldjiersjûn) classic, dusted with icing sugar and sometimes containing currants. In Dutch it is oliebol

   Grammar Note

   A compound of oalje (oil) and bol. Frisian oalje corresponds to Dutch olie

9. sjerpwafel

   Stroopwafel

   Usage

   Two thin waffles with caramel syrup in between. In Dutch it is stroopwafel. It is a popular souvenir

   Grammar Note

   A compound of sjerp (syrup) and wafel. The word corresponds to Dutch stroopwafel

10. wafel

    Waffle

    Usage

    A grid-patterned baked sweet. The Frisian spelling is wafel

    Grammar Note

    A name with the same form as in Dutch

11. spekulaas

    Spekulaas (spiced biscuit)

    Usage

    A thin, spicy biscuit flavoured with cinnamon and similar spices, often eaten around Sinteklaas in December. The Frisian spelling is spekulaas

    Grammar Note

    It corresponds to Dutch speculaas, with the c written as k

12. sâlte drop

    Salty liquorice

    Usage

    A liquorice sweet popular in the Netherlands; the salty kind is called sâlte drop. The taste is strong, so try a small amount first

    Grammar Note

    Here drop is the name of the sweet, not the Frisian word for a droplet. The adjective sâlte comes before drop

13. snobbersguod

    Sweets (candy)

    Usage

    A general word for sweets such as candy and chocolate. Guod means "stuff" or "goods"

    Grammar Note

    It behaves like a mass noun, with no plural

14. sûkelade

    Chocolate

    Usage

    It corresponds to Dutch chocolade and is spelled sûkelade in Frisian. The article is de

    Grammar Note

    The spelling differs from Dutch chocolade, and û is a distinctly Frisian letter

15. iis

    Ice cream

    Usage

    Iis means both "ice" and "ice cream". Natural ice that freezes in winter is natoeriis

    Grammar Note

    Used as it iis, a word for both ice and ice cream

16. apeltaart

    Apple pie

    Usage

    A cinnamon-flavoured apple tart. The Frisian spelling is apeltaart. The article is de

    Grammar Note

    A compound of apel (apple) and taart (tart), with a single p in apel

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