The ‘bolus’
Zeeland’s best known goodie: the sweet Zeeland bolus. The bolus is a sweet bun, that many people from Zeeland have with their coffee or that is served with cold meals. To complete it all, the bottom part of the bolus is often buttered.
Jewish origin of the Zeeland bolus
The bolus probably reached Zeeland by the end of the sixteenth century, when Portuguese jews settled in the town of Middelburg. This bun originates in Portugal and Spain. The bolus remained popular in Zeeland, even after the Sephardic jews had up and left.
The secret of the Zeeland bolus
A bolus consists of rolled up ropes of white-bread dough. These ropes are rolled through a mixture of brown caster sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. To turn them into a bolus, you need to roll the ropes up like a spiral. In the oven, the sugar will melt and become syrupy. This syrup is what makes the boluses sticky. The main thing is to get the bolus out of the oven at the right time. If you’re too quick, the bolus will be undercooked. If you wait too long, the bolus will be too hard.
Zeeland Bolus Baking Championships
As the Zeeland bolus is a specialty among the bakers of Zeeland, in 1988 the first Bolus baking championship was held. Ever since, there have been other baking competitions. In 2015, bakers from Zeeland decreed that every year on 30 May the Zeeland Bolus Day will be held. On this day, there are bolus baking workshops, presentations and baking competitions.
If you are going to visit a Zeeland baker, remember to order a bolus. We know for sure that you will then be sold on them!