Dutch Sweet Treats: Blanket Letters, Stroopwafels & Hopjes
This year when Adam came to visit after NewYears, we tried three of the 1000 Foods to Eat Before you Die that come from Holland. The first was a “blanket letter” On the 5th of December, Sinterklaus leaves dutch children a chocolate letter in their clogs that corresponds to the first initial of their first name… In the 16th and 17th centuries these used to be made of pastry. There are a number of dutch still life paintings with them in them… I ordered an A for Adam and and E for Elena. Didn’t see them on the 5th of December and I don’t think Sinterklaus came to our house AND I don’t think they have clogs so I gave them their letter a month late. Seems fine. Oh, and of course this is a thing from my 1000 things book. How else would i have heard about this dutch custom?
The second item is the stroopwafel. You can get stroopwafels at Starbucks and i have been given them in the am on airplanes but these were the true dutch version. i think they are slighly better than what you get elsewhere. The stroopwafel is a little cookie with crispy thin waffles with caramel in between. They are chewy and gooey and yummy…
The third little treat I think has only made the list because they have been around since the 18th century. It is called Hopje and is a hard coffee candy. It’s claim to fame is that it won’t stick to your teeth and won’t get soft. Other than that, it is just a hard candy that is coffee flavored… Nothing to write home about, even if it is in the 1000 Foods to eat list.
