Michigan’s favorite holiday pastry has a terrible Dutch legend behind it

Holland Michigan’s Kerstmarkt Preserves Ancient Dutch Winter Recipes

In Holland, Michigan, Dutch food isn’t just food – it’s time travel.

Each winter, locals fry up oliebollen, dough balls first made by Germanic tribes to ward off a sword-wielding goddess named Perchta. The story goes that her blade would slip off bellies filled with oily treats.

By 1667, the recipe showed up in cookbooks. Meanwhile, stroopwafels began as a thrifty hack in 1810 when baker Gerard Kamphuisen turned scraps into gold by adding syrup.

Once called “poor people’s cookies,” they spread beyond Gouda by 1870.

Dutch settlers brought these recipes to Michigan in the 1840s, where winter markets still serve up history you can taste at the annual Kerstmarkt celebration.

Fried Dough Protected People from a Sword-Wielding Goddess

Dutch tribes made fried dough balls during Yule between December 26 and January 6. These treats, called oliebollen, did more than fill bellies.

Old stories say goddess Perchta flew through winter skies, cutting open people’s stomachs with her sword to steal their food. People ate these fatty treats thinking her sword would slip off their oil-coated stomachs.

The oily snacks also helped folks survive harsh winters when fresh food was scarce.

The First Oliebollen Recipe Showed Up in a 1667 Cookbook

The oldest written oliebollen recipe came from a 1667 Dutch cookbook called “The Sensible Cook. ” Back then, folks called them “oil cookies.”

Dutch painter Aelbert Cuyp thought these treats mattered enough to paint them around 1652, showing a woman with a pot full of dough balls. People started calling them oliebollen by the late 1800s.

Cooks first boiled these treats in lard but later used vegetable oil.

A Thrifty Baker Turned Garbage into Gold with Stroopwafels

Around 1810, baker Gerard Kamphuisen opened a shop in Gouda and came up with a smart idea. He mixed leftover breadcrumbs and dough scraps with syrup and pressed them between waffle irons.

People called these sweet treats “poor people’s cookies” since they used bakery waste. The oldest stroopwafel recipe dates to 1840.

Kamphuisen turned worthless scraps into money-making treats that fed hungry customers from poor families while cutting down on waste.

Gouda Became the Stroopwafel Capital with 100 Bakers

Stroopwafels stayed only in Gouda until around 1870, when the city had about 100 syrup waffle bakers. New waffle irons let bakers make thinner, crispier wafers with the crisscross pattern we know today.

Factories started making them in the early 1900s. The business grew so much that by 1960, Gouda ran 17 stroopwafel factories.

Four factories in Gouda still make stroopwafels the old-fashioned way.

Dutch Families Brought Their Food Traditions to Michigan in 1847

Albertus van Raalte led Dutch Calvinists to start Holland, Michigan in February 1847. The first six families built a log cabin by February 23.

Thousands of Dutch folks moved to western Michigan between 1847 and 1857, looking for religious freedom and better lives. By August 1847, 1,500 people lived there despite the tough new setting.

These newcomers brought more than just clothes and tools – they packed their food customs and cultural habits from the Netherlands.

Settlers Faced Swamps and Starvation But Kept Their Culture Alive

Dutch settlers found a harsh reality in Michigan – swampy, bug-filled forests instead of farmland. Food shortages caused sickness and many deaths during the first year.

Van Raalte built an orphanage for children whose parents died, though most quickly found homes with living families. The thick forest gave them lumber for homes and money to buy farming tools.

Through these tough times, Dutch folks kept their culture alive by making foods that reminded them of home.

New Year’s Eve Means 90 Million Oliebollen for Modern Dutch People

Dutch folks now eat between 80 and 90 million oliebollen every New Year’s Eve. Food stands called oliebollenkraam pop up in October and stay through December.

From 1993 to 2017, a Dutch newspaper ranked the best oliebollen sellers in the country. On December 31, people wait in line up to an hour for their good luck treats.

The custom runs so deep that whole cities smell like frying oliebollen on the last day of the year.

Holland’s Christmas Market Started with Just 10 Booths in 1997

Holland’s tourist office created Kerstmarkt in 1997, starting with only 10 booths in Centennial Park. Staff members went to Germany to study European Christmas markets and build proper wooden vendor stalls.

“Kerstmarkt” means Christmas market in Dutch, copying customs found across the Netherlands. The market later moved to 8th Street Marketplace and grew to feature up to 45 vendors.

Holland Friends of Art now runs this yearly event, helping keep Dutch customs alive in Michigan.

Visitors Line Up for Authentic Dutch Treats at Winter Markets

Kerstmarkt sellers offer Dutch foods like stroopwafels, almond pastry, spiced cookies, and Dutch pigs in blankets. Grown-ups can warm up with hot mulled wine called glühwein.

Christmas stollen and other real Dutch baked goods link visitors to Netherlands food customs. Local bakeries make these foods using recipes handed down through families.

The market runs weekends from late November through December 20 each year.

Dutch Santa and Carolers Create an Old World Christmas Experience

Sinterklaas, the Dutch Santa Claus, visits Kerstmarkt and other Holland events. Bell concerts, Dickens Carolers, and Dutch folk shows entertain visitors throughout market season.

USA Today ranks it among the top 10 best holiday markets in America. People travel from across the country and even other nations to enjoy real Dutch Christmas customs.

Year-round Dutch spots like Dutch Village and local bakeries keep these food traditions going after the holidays end.

A Taste of History Links Modern Americans to Their Dutch Ancestors

Dutch culinary traditions connect Holland, Michigan residents to ancestral foodways dating back centuries.

Winter markets preserve seasonal celebration customs that originated with Germanic tribes protecting themselves from mythological dangers.

Stroopwafels and oliebollen recipes show how Dutch bakers turned necessity into beloved traditions, from poverty to prosperity.

These foods maintain their folklore meanings while bringing communities together during winter celebrations.

Holland’s preservation of Dutch foodways creates living history that honors immigrant resilience and cultural identity through something everyone can enjoy – delicious food with a fascinating past.

Visiting Holland Winter Market, Michigan

Holland’s winter markets at 8th Street Marketplace (150 West 8th Street) celebrate Dutch food traditions with oliebollen and stroopwafels.

The Kerstmarkt runs Fridays 3pm-7pm and Saturdays 9am-7pm from November 21-December 20, 2025, with free admission and parking.

During Dutch Winterfest (December 2-6), you can get tickets for Breakfast with Sinterklaas featuring traditional poffertjes. The Winter Farmers Market continues first and third Saturdays January-April, 9am-1pm.

Bring cash or use the on-site ATM.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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