Zeeuwse Bolus

The Zeeuwse bolus is a yeast dough rolled into a rope, coated in dark brown sugar and cinnamon, wound into a flat spiral and baked so the sugar caramelises into a sticky dark crust and the coil holds together as a soft bun beneath. It is eaten cut in half and buttered, with the sticky side down against the tongue, which everyone in Zeeland will tell you and which does make a difference. The name is generally traced to Sephardic Jewish baking - boló - brought to the Low Countries after the Iberian expulsions, and the bolus is found in Zeeland and around Antwerp and almost nowhere else in the Netherlands, so crossing into the province is the practical way to eat one. Bakeries compete over them and there is an annual competition for the best. They are a breakfast or coffee item and they do not keep past the day.

What you actually see

• A coiled sticky bun - dough rolled in cinnamon and dark sugar, baked into a spiral.
• Eaten sticky side down - halved and buttered, which is not optional locally.
• A Sephardic origin - the name traced to Iberian Jewish baking brought north.
• A Zeeland speciality - found here and around Antwerp, rarely elsewhere.

When to go

All year, in the morning. An hour.

Honest expectations

They must be eaten the day they are baked - a day-old bolus is hard and disappointing. They are extremely sweet. Versions sold outside Zeeland are usually poor imitations.

Nearby

Middelburg, Goes and Zierikzee all have good bakeries for them.