Originating from Jewish tradition, this cookie has become world famous: the Real Enkhuizer Jodekoek. It has been made in the factory in Enkhuizen for more than a century, where it runs on the belt from early in the morning until late at night. Baker Kees Vlaar is very proud of it. What about the rest of Enkhuizen? NH puts it to the test.
But how did the Real Enkhuizer cookie get its name? “At the beginning of the 20th century, a Frisian baker developed the first cakes in the Enkhuizer Bread and Pastry Factory. In Amsterdam he learned the tricks of the trade from a Jewish baker,” Vlaar explains. “Then he came to Enkhuizen and the recipe was further fine-tuned. Since then, it has been made here for more than a hundred years.”
There is never any doubt about the name. “We even discussed the name with the Jewish Council a few years ago. They are just proud that the cake is called that. And so it is called the Jodekoek.”
Brand new in the packaging
The process goes very quickly. From lump of dough to crispy wrapped cookie takes 25 minutes to be precise. “They go into the oven, are cooled and then end up with the packing ladies after which they go to distribution.” In total, 90 million cakes roll over the belt per year, roughly 400 thousand per day.
In the well-known purple packaging, the cookie is popular at home and abroad. There is no Enkhuizer who does not know him. “Yes, I know him very well, he is damn hot,” says a passer-by on the street. “Just like the Enkhuizer almanac, the name Enkhuizen is attached to it. That makes it special,” says a woman. A couple from Friesland is also not unknown to him. “I even grew up with it, my mother always had it at our house. It tastes great and is also affordable.”