![Dutch laddervlaai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Dutch_laddervlaai.jpg)
Limburgse vlaai (
Limburgish
Limburgish ( li, Limburgs or ; nl, Limburgs ; german: Limburgisch ; french: Limbourgeois ), also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic, is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg (Netherlands), L ...
: ''vlaai, vlaoj or flaai.'' Plural: ''vlaaien)''
[Koene, A. ]
Food Shopper's Guide to Holland: A Comprehensive Review of the Finest Local and International Food Products in the Dutch Marketplace
' (2006). Eburon Uitgeverij B.V. p. 138. . Google Books. Retrieved on April 18, 2011. is a
pastry
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...
consisting of dough and a filling, traditionally associated with the provinces of Limburg found both in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, as well as parts of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
across the border.
Variations exist throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, and areas of the German state
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
near the border with the Netherlands. A ''vlaai'' is usually 26—31 centimetres in diameter. It is available in many different varieties of fruit fillings, such as cherry, apricot, strawberry, and plum. Other variations are a crumbled butter and sugar mix ("''greumellevlaai''" in
Limburgish
Limburgish ( li, Limburgs or ; nl, Limburgs ; german: Limburgisch ; french: Limbourgeois ), also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic, is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg (Netherlands), L ...
, or "''kruimelvlaai''" in Dutch) and a cooked rice and custard porridge ("''
rijstevlaai
In Dutch cuisine, Dutch and Belgian cuisine, ''rijsttaart(je)''/''rijstevlaai'' (Dutch) or ''tarte au riz'' (French) (german: Reisfladen, all translate to “rice flan”) is a pie with a filling based on rice pudding. It is native to Verviers an ...
''").
Vlaai is often eaten on special occasions and for significant life events, particularly in the Dutch province of
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
, such as birthdays and funerals. When eaten on the occasion of a funeral, the vlaai is typically made with black plum ("Zwarte pruimenvlaai").
History
There is little known about the history of vlaaien that can be said for sure, except that they're not a purely Limburgish pastry.
One of the oldest mentions of vlaaien dates from the 12th century during the siege of the city,
Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden (; french: link=no, Saint-Trond ; li, Sintruin ) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The muni ...
, located in Belgium in 1189. During the siege by
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
Godfried III van Leuven Godfried is the Dutch form of Geoffrey and Gottfried. It may refer to:
*Carel Godfried Willem Hendrik baron van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout (1892–1986), Dutch diplomat and politician
* Eugène Godfried (1952–2009), Curaçao-born political activi ...
the inhabitants of the city offered him a vlaai that was baked following old local recipes. According to a mention from abbot Nicolaas in the chronicle from the abbey of Sint-Truiden, the duke stopped the siege soon after.
Until the mid-20th century the vlaai was considered a luxury item in Limburg that would only be eaten during celebrations. In the countryside they were almost always baked by the people themselves, usually in traditional
bakehouse
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish ...
s. The vlaaien would be served around four in the afternoon during the coffee break, with usually two or three different slices per person. Because of the growing economic prosperity after the second World War, people started eating them more often.
The vlaaien began to be more widely known outside of Limburg during the late 19th century mostly because of growing tourism in Dutch Southern Limburg. Many tourists took a vlaai back home from local bakers. In 1986 the first vlaaien shop opened in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
. The selling of vlaaien by several supermarket chains also helped in popularizing the pastry.
Maria Hubertina Hendrix
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
, also known as 'Antje van de Stasie', also helped spread the popularity outside of Limburg. In the early 20th century she sold her 'Weerter vlaaitjes' at the train station in
Weert
Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.
Popu ...
, and this caused the pastry to become well known by travellers from all over the Netherlands. After a while the Weerter vlaaien were also sold in
Nijmegen
Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
. She has had a statue in Weert since 1988.
Geographical indication
On 17 November 2022, the Netherlands and Belgium applied for protection of the designation ''Limburgse vlaai'' as a
Protected Geographical Indication
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
(PGI) in the European Union.
Notes
Dutch cuisine
Limburgian cuisine
Fruit pies
Weert
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