call-them-whatever-you-like-balls

Probably every Swedish child growing up during the 60-70-80ies knows how to make these sweets, the recipe could then be find on most every package of oatmeal sold in Sweden. Making them made for a perfect and innocent pastime with friends, they were sold in most every school cafeteria, served at any school class party.

This was the era before Sweden became a very anxiously aware of everything that could maybe possible perhaps be construed as non political correct-country, instead of having open non-prejudicial discussions about things, the whys and the hows. These balls got caught in the new PC-awareness and lost their traditional and, in hindsight, ambiguous name. We live and learn. It's a sweet that stirs up quite a lot of emotions these days. And not only pleasant ones.

The Swedish Equality Ombudsman has recently banned the word deeming it offensive and derogative. From then on this classic spherical Swedish sweet made from butter, oatmeal, sugar, cacao, cold coffee rolled in coconut (pearlsugar or chopped almonds) got a name change because its name - a derivative from the Latin word "niger" which simply means "black" - was concidered obsolete and associated to slavery, oppression and a lack of respect for every human's equal value.

Most people call them chocolate balls now. Or oats balls. Others call them by their original, ambiguous name. Another name is "kalla dem vad du vill bollar"/call-them-whatever-you-like-balls. The name may be debatable, but the recipe is simple and moreish. Here it is and it makes about 23 sweets - enjoy!

100 g softened butter
3 deciliter oatmeal
1 deciliter white sugar
2 tbsp cacao
1 tbsp cold coffee
1 teaspoon vanillasugar
shredded coconut

Mix the ingredients properly, form them into small balls and roll them in shredded coconut. Put in fridge for a while before you serve them.