Cheese souffle; a popular snack with a crispy layer

One of the snack favorites besides croquette and frikandel is the cheese souffle. We know these from the snack bar or from the supermarket freezer.
It is a Dutch snack, but the cheese souffle can also be found abroad, for example, only in a different form or name.
You can also make various meals with the cheese souffle. I created a blog with all questions and facts plus recipes about the cheese souffle. Are you reading along?

What is a cheese souffle?

A cheese souffle is a Dutch snack dish that is often served in snack bars and cafeterias. It consists of a melted cheese filling, covered in a layer of crispy puff pastry or breadcrumbs. The cheese souffle is usually deep-fried and served as a hot snack. Although the name suggests that the dish is a souffle, it is not. A souffle is a light and fluffy dish that is baked in the oven, while a cheese souffle is compact and firm due to the use of puff pastry or breadcrumbs.

Why does it bear the name cheese souffle?

The name “cheese souffle” probably came about because the dish was originally made with a souffle-like filling of whipped eggs and cheese, and was later coated in puff pastry or breadcrumbs. The use of the word “souffle” in the name refers to the cheese filling, although the texture of the dish is not similar to that of a real souffle. It is also possible that the name was coined to make the dish more attractive to consumers. Indeed, the name “cheese souffle” sounds a bit more chic than, for example, “fried cheese balls”.

Where does the cheese souffle originally come from?

The origin of the cheese souffle is not entirely clear, but it is a typical Dutch snack dish that has been popular for many years. It is mainly sold in snack bars and cafeterias in the Netherlands, but also in some neighboring countries such as Belgium and Germany. However, the idea of wrapping cheese in dough and frying it is not unique to the Netherlands.

Which cheese souffle variants do they know abroad?

Cheese soufflés are primarily a Dutch dish and are therefore not commonly found abroad. However, there are similar dishes that are popular in other countries and are somewhat similar in preparation to the cheese souffle. One such example is the “cheese sticks” in the United States. These are rectangular pieces of cheese, often cheddar or mozzarella, that are dipped in batter, breaded and then deep-fried. In France, they know the “croquette au fromage”, which is made with cheese, bechamel sauce and sometimes mashed potatoes. The filling is then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.

In Italian cuisine, there is a similar dish called “mozzarella sticks”. These are pieces of mozzarella that are breaded and deep-fried. Although these dishes look like the cheese souffle, there are still slight differences in the preparation and the recipe. For example, the cheese souffle has a filling of melted cheese and puff pastry or breadcrumbs, while other variants sometimes contain different ingredients and have a different texture.