Limburg Vlaai

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Limburger Vlaaien in a bakery in Maastricht
Vlaai with sprinkles

Limburger Vlaai is a typical pastry from the Dutch-Belgian region of Limburg . The mixture of flat yeast dough with a high proportion of fruit compote is considered a regional specialty that is primarily consumed on special occasions (birthdays, family celebrations, holidays, visits).

Name and appearance

The name vlaai goes back to flatbread . In fact, it is a dough base about 27 to 30 centimeters in diameter, the edge of which is bent up a few centimeters. The resulting hollow is filled with a compote made from fruits such as gooseberries , cherries , black plums , apples , apricots or, alternatively, with rice pudding. The apricot and plum vlaaien are very often decorated with a grid made of the same dough as the base. Whipped cream is used more and more, but it is considered non-traditional. 

particularities

Vlaai is fundamentally different from cake in that the base is made from a light yeast dough, similar to white bread dough . If the dough base is relatively thin and elastic, the fruit compote must be quite thick and high. Another typical feature is that the pastry is put in the oven with the fruit and baked whole. So a baked base with fresh fruits is not a vlaai.

Recognition as a regional specialty

Dutch and Belgian bakers from the Limburg region are trying to get the Limburg Vlaai recognized as a specialty and designation of origin by the EU. They want to ensure a certain quality, both in terms of the craftsmanship and the ingredients used. Furthermore, they want to use the seal of approval to protect the product against imitation from bread factories, since cheap variants are increasingly being sold in supermarkets under the name Vlaai. A whipped cream decoration would not be allowed according to the proposal. The bakers also want only Vlaaien baked in their own region to be allowed to bear the seal. A possible recognition can take a few years to come.

National fame in the Netherlands

A businesswoman from Weert is credited with making the Vlaai known in the rest of the Netherlands. Mrs. Maria Hubertina Hendrix , nicknamed Antje van de stasie ("Antje from the train station"), sold her Weerter vlaaitjes (little Vlaaien from Weert) in the train station of her town at the beginning of the 20th century . The pastry became so popular that it was later available in Nijmegen , for example . In 1988 a statue was erected in Weert in her honor

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Belgian broadcaster Radio 2 Limburg reports on the request from the Limburg bakers to the EU to recognize Vlaai as a regional specialty https://radio2.be/limburg/limburgse-vlaai-als-erkend-europees-streekproduct
  2. ↑ http://www.erfgoedhuisweert.nl/Laatste-Nieuws/Weg-van-Weert/Antje-van-de-Stasie-geboren. Retrieved March 17, 2018 .