Definition

Noun 1. A crumbly, sweet topping for baked goods, typically made from a mixture of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes spices or nuts. 2. A pastry, such as a coffee cake or muffin, that is topped with this crumbly mixture.

Usage and Examples

• As a topping (Countable/Uncountable): The word is most commonly used to refer to the crumb mixture itself.
  • The recipe calls for a streusel made with brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • She sprinkled the streusel evenly over the apple crisp before baking.
• As a named pastry (Countable): It can also name a specific baked item characterized by this topping.
  • I'll have a blueberry streusel and a coffee, please.
  • This bakery makes the best peach streusel in town.

Advanced Usage

• "Streusel-topped" (Adjective): Used to describe a baked good that has a streusel topping.
  • The menu featured a streusel-topped pear tart.

Variants and Related Words

• Crumble (Noun): A very similar topping, often used interchangeably with "streusel" in some contexts. A "crumble" can also refer to a dessert of baked fruit with such a topping.
• Crisp (Noun): In American English, a dessert of baked fruit with a streusel-like topping, often containing oats.

Synonyms

• Crumb topping
• Streusel topping

Notes on Meaning

The two meanings are closely linked. The primary meaning is the crumbly topping itself (Meaning 1). The secondary meaning (Meaning 2) is a type of pastry defined by the presence of that topping. Context usually makes it clear which meaning is intended.

Noun

1. a crumbly topping for a pastry
2. pastry with a topping of streusel