with the usual condiments. In North America there are several annual events that celebrate æbleskiver and Danish culture, with churches and museums holding "Æbleskiver Suppers" and similar events. History The exact origin of æbleskiver is unknown. One popular speculation is that a band of Vikings were part of a difficult battle. When they returned to their ship, they wished to cook a meal similar to pancakes. However, since they lacked regular pans, they instead used their shields or helmets, resulting in a cake with a spherical shape. According to another explanation, the custom of making a special sliced-apple dish originated in the Middle Ages when it was impossible to store raw apples beyond a certain date. The last apples of the year's harvest were sliced, used to flavor gløgg, scooped out of the gløgg, wrapped in dough, and fried in fat or butter like a Berliner. This is the origin of the name, which means "apple slices". In the 17th century, as cast iron pans with hemispherical concavities became available, æbleskiver could be easily made throughout the year, and the variety of fruit and other fillings expanded. The first appearance of the word "æbleskiver" occurs in Peters Jul (1866), a book of Yule poems by Johan Krohn (1841–1925; son of Frederik Christopher Krohn and brother of Pietro Krohn). "Apple-filled æbleskiver" are also mentioned in the 1872 story "The Cripple" (Krøblingen) by Hans Christian Andersen. In the United States, pans were manufactured by Griswold Manufacturing. See also List of doughnut varieties , a similar Hong Kong dish. , similar Malaysian snack. , similar Indonesian snack. List of pancakes , the Norwegian version. , a similar dish from the south of India that comes in sweet and savoury varieties. , a similar Dutch dish that is sweet. , a savoury Japanese version that features octopus. , a similar dish from Kerala that is made in both sweet and spicy styles. References External links The Story of Aebleskiver (Solvang Restaurant, Solvang, California) Danish American Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Danish cuisine Pancakes Wheat dishes