Cuisine is full of hidden stories and traditions, and Dutch bakery is no exception. Pacts with the devil, maritime trade, and the wit of the lower class are some of the reasons why the desserts we enjoy today exist.
Starting with stroopwafels; it may come as a surprise, but they are originally from Gouda. This sweet cookie filled with caramel syrup was first baked in the 19th century. But it is really difficult for historians to identify exactly when and where.
The authorship for this recipe has been commonly attributed to the baker Adriaan de Groot. He is also said to have been the first one to use the stroopwafel iron in order to give them their particular shape. But others believe that the actual creator was another baker named Gerad Kamphuisen. Due to the lack of historical records, it is really difficult to define who the first one.
The original recipe was made with leftovers from bakeries; it was a treat for the poor people at the time, made of bread crumbs and caramel syrup. It is said that initially, people would call them armenkoeken, which means “poor man’s cookies.” They eventually became more popular and ended up being mass-produced with the arrival of the 20th century.
The next story is related to the Dutch East India Company, which in some way is responsible for the creation of Speculaas. These are from the 17th century and were baked with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. All of those being spices that, at that time, were brought from Asia to Europe by the Dutch East India Company.
As spices were so expensive, it was mostly a cookie for the upper class, in contrast to the stroopwafel. And some stories say that they were first made by a baker from Flanders, named Antoine.
The name Speculaas comes from the Latin Speculum, which means mirror, as the first of these cookies were made by bakers who would press the dough in wooden of windmills or animals that appeared as an inverted image on the cookie, having the same effect as a mirror.
Other theories say that it comes from the word Speculator in Latin, which translates to “spy” or “guardian”. This meaning is mostly associated with the relation of speculaas with Sinterklaas festivities, as he is the observer. For that reason children would receive speculaas with the shape of Sinterklaas in their shoes the morning of the 6th of December.
Finally, there is the duivekater, a traditional bread made during Christmas, New Year’s and around Pentecost, more typical around Amsterdam and its neighboring cities in North-Holland.
Its history goes back to the Holy Roman Empire, where this bread was used as an alternative for sacrifices to ward off the devil. The name derives from Old Germanic and it meant “Devil’s cake”. It was baked in the shape of a shank or a bone, to substitute human and animal sacrifices or offerings.
Some others relate the name to a baker in Leiden around 1450 who had the nickname Deuvekater, but there is no proof that he was the author of the recipe or the one to coin it with that name.
Dutch cuisine is a direct result of the historical context of each era, full of interesting stories that you can now tell to your friends at the table, or keep to yourself while enjoying a private treat.