Nib sugar facts for kids

Nib sugar is a special kind of sugar that looks like tiny, hard, white pearls. It's also called pearl sugar or hail sugar because of its appearance. Unlike regular sugar, nib sugar doesn't melt easily when you bake with it. This makes it perfect for decorating delicious treats!

Swedish cinnamon buns are often topped with nib sugar.

Italian Easter cake Colomba di Pasqua can also have nib sugar on top.

What is Nib Sugar?

Nib sugar is made from refined white sugar. It's very coarse, which means it has a rough texture. Each piece is hard and has an opaque, white color. The best part about nib sugar is that it stays solid even when baked at normal temperatures. This means it keeps its shape and crunch on top of your favorite pastries.

How Nib Sugar is Made

There are a couple of ways to make this unique sugar. One common method involves crushing large blocks of white sugar. After crushing, the sugar pieces are sifted. This process helps to sort them by size, so all the nibs are about the same diameter. Another way to make nib sugar is through an extrusion process. This is like pushing the sugar through a special machine to form the little pearl shapes.

Different Names for Nib Sugar

Nib sugar is popular in many countries, and it has different names depending on where you are!

• In Sweden, it's known as pärlsocker, which means "pearl sugar."
• In Denmark and Norway, people call it perlesukker.
• In Finland, it's usually called raesokeri, meaning "hailstone sugar." Sometimes, it's also called helmisokeri, which is another way to say "pearl sugar."
• In Germany, it's known as Hagelzucker.

Where Nib Sugar is Used

This special sugar is used to decorate many different kinds of yummy foods around the world.

• In Sweden, pärlsocker is used a lot! You'll see it on many pastries, candies, and cookies. It's especially popular on Swedish bulle (a type of bun) and Finnish pulla (cardamom bread). It also decorates cakes, muffins, and other buns, like kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) and chokladbollar (chocolate balls).
• In Germany, Hagelzucker is a traditional topping for Christmas cookies and cinnamon buns.
• In Belgium, nib sugar is a key ingredient in delicious Liège waffles. The sugar melts slightly inside the waffle, creating sweet, caramelized pockets.
• In Friesland, a region in the Netherlands, it's used in a special bread called sûkerbôle (sugar bread).
• In France, nib sugar often tops chouquettes, which are small, light pastries.

See also

In Spanish: Azúcar cande para niños