Beschuit met muisjes

Beschuit met muisjes is a traditional snack that is consumed when celebrating the arrival of a baby. It consists of beschuit – a round, toasted, dry, and crunchy rusk that is smeared with either margarine or butter, then topped with muisjes – sugar-coated aniseeds. The topping can either be pink and white if the baby is a girl (these are the traditional colors), or blue and white if it's a boy (modern colors). It is believed that aniseed stimulates milk production in nursing mothers, so beschuit met muisjes is a staple at almost every Dutch household when a baby is born and guests come to visit.