If it is lower than 32%, it is to be referred to as cacaofantasie or cacaofantasie hagelslag (cacao fantasy sprinkles). Only hagelslag with a cacao percentage of more than 32% can bear the name chocoladehagelslag (chocolate sprinkles). (This reference is also transferred to the Finnish word for sprinkles, 'Koristerakeet' which literally means 'decorative hail').

They were named hagelslag after their resemblance to a weather phenomenon prominent in the Netherlands: hail. After much research and venture, de Vries and Venz created the first machine to produce the tiny cylindrical treats.

Most of the time butter is spread out so the hagelslag does not fall off. Hagelslag is used on bread and other things made of bread. Venz, another Dutch company, made hagelslag popular. They were used as decoration for pièces montées and desserts.ĭutch hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles) were invented in 1913 by Erven H. Nonpareils date back at least to the late 18th century, if not earlier. In Connecticut and other places in the U.S., as indicated by including the sense in the official Merriam-Webster, shots is a specific term for sprinkles. The fund however, was started in 1948, well after the first historical reference. Brigham opened an ice cream restaurant called Brigham's and charged an extra penny for chocolate sprinkles on a cone, which benefited The Jimmy Fund. Farber co-founded the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, as well as a charity, The Jimmy Fund, named after one of his child patients. Īnother unlikely claim on the name jimmies originates from Dr. The Just Born Candy Company of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, claims to have invented jimmies and named them after an employee. The origin of the name jimmies is uncertain, but it was first documented in 1930, as a topping for cake.

Jimmies is the most popular term for chocolate sprinkles in the Philadelphia, Boston and New England regions. This name can be seen borrowed into spoken Egyptian Arabic as faːrmasil. Another UK variant of the term is vermicelli, especially when said of chocolate sprinkles. For example, hundreds and thousands is the most popular denotation used in Britain as well as Australia and New Zealand to refer to sprinkles and nonpareils. In the UK and other Anglophonic commonwealth countries sprinkles are denoted by different signifiers. The Dictionary of American Regional English defines them as 'tiny balls or rod-shaped bits of candy used as a topping for ice-cream, cakes and other.' The tiny candies are produced in a variety of colors and are generally used as a topping or a decorative element. Sprinkles are small pieces of confectionery used as an often colourful decoration or to add texture to desserts such as brownies, cupcakes, doughnuts or ice cream.

Confectionately yours sugar and spice