Muisjes
Muisjes (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmœyʃəs]; translated little mice) are a traditional Dutch sandwich topping. While customary on bread, their most typical use is on beschuit, or rusk. Muisjes are made of aniseeds with a sugared and colored outer layer. Muisjes, meaning "little mice" in Dutch, are named because the anise seed sprinkles are shaped like little mice, with the stem of the anise seed resembling a tail. They are made by one company only, De Ruijter.
Beschuit met muisjes
In the Netherlands, it is a custom at the birth of a baby to eat muisjes on top of rusk--beschuit met muisjes; the anise in the muisjes was thought to stimulate lactation, and they symbolized fertility.
As early as the 17th century, the parents of a newborn baby gave away beschuit with a layer of butter and muisjes to the baby's visitors. This tradition continues today. Beschuit with Muisjes are given to the baby's visitors at home, and are brought by older siblings to share at school; or are presented to colleagues at work. Every supermarket in the Netherlands sells boxes of muisjes. "De Ruijter" is currently the only brand in production of muisjes. They have been making them since 1860.
Beschuit met muisjes (play)
Beschuit met muisjes is a tragicomedy by Dutch playwright Herman Heijermans. First performed on 24 December 1910 in Amsterdam, it is one of Heijermans' lesser-known plays, though it is still performed regularly.
Plot
The play follows the family of Prosper Bien Aime, who own a run-down pension. Their lives are turned upside down when Prosper's estranged brother unexpectedly shows up and dies at the dinner table, leaving the others to sort out what to do with his sizable inheritance. Another unexpected guest, the brother's wife Pollie, disturbs these plans, especially when it turns out she's pregnant (leading Prosper to call for "beschuit met muisjes", a traditional Dutch snack served when babies are born).
Performances
The play has been performed by Amsterdam company Toneelgroep Oostpool (and its predecessor, Toneelgroep Theater). In 2014 Oostpool presented the play on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Heijermans' birth, in a performance praised in de Volkskrant. A review by Henri Drost for the Theaterkrant was strongly negative, and said the strong text deserved a better production.
Podcasts:
