What December 5 means for the Netherlands, January 6 means for the Spaniards: Christmas Eve. And just as Sinterklaas makes Dutch children’s hearts beat faster, the three kings Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar raise the blood pressure of Spanish children. Every Epiphany it rains plenty of goodies and gifts for the little ones in Spain. And yes, they also put their shoe on the Iberian Peninsula. To tastefully celebrate this tradition in the Netherlands, the Spanish owner of the Rosedrips delicacy in Eindhoven is baking it up this Monday.
Rosa Kouwenberg-Iglesias, together with daughter Rosalba, prepares one Roscón de Reyes after another during Epiphany. They have been in the kitchen together since half past seven on Monday morning.
The basis of this traditional Spanish oven dish is sweet bread. Supplemented with orange, lemon, sugar, almonds and whipped cream. It always appears on the table on January 6. And thanks to the many Spanish expats who work at ASML, among others, the Iberian tradition is also trickling down to Brabant.
And beware, because the Roscón de Reyes is not just any pastry. Somewhere inside is a bean and a figure of a king. Whoever gets the piece with the bean on their plate has to pay for the entire treat. Whoever finds the king in his piece of Roscón can wear a crown and can go through the day like royalty.
Dozens of orders have been received at the deli. Customers pick up the pastries at the end of the afternoon with a broad smile. With a reason, because Rosa is famous for her pastry. She has even received a royal honor from the Spanish royal family. A tribute to her efforts to promote Spanish culture and gastronomy in the Netherlands.
‘Doña Rosa’, as written on her work clothes, is proud of her goodies. “It is not just reserved for Spain. The pastry is also popular in France, Portugal and especially Mexico.” Her delicatessen in Eindhoven has been running for over 20 years, but the Roscón de Reyes has only been baking for about four years. “It was my daughter’s idea. When we started, we had made about ten. Now we have about thirty. It is becoming more popular. We only bake for the Spanish community in Eindhoven.”
Although. One of the customers in the store is from Eindhoven, but is celebrating Epiphany. “I have a Spanish girlfriend,” is the simple explanation. “I took over the tradition from her, which is why I came to get Roscón today. It is my seventh time that we celebrate Epiphany in this way. Should we also make it a tradition in the Netherlands? Well, we already have Sinterklaas. That is also fun. Everyone has their own party. Or double party, haha.”
