Ten years after the rise of the ‘cronut’, a combination of a croissant and a donut, the Netherlands has a new culinary sensation: the ‘crompouce’. This pastry, which combines the classic Dutch tompouce with the French croissant, has divided the country into two camps. While the younger generation is enthusiastic about this new delicacy, the older generation frowns and remains loyal to the traditional tompouce.
It started as a modest bakery product that had been on the shelves for a few years, but the ‘crompouce’ only really broke through in the Netherlands this year, thanks to Bakkerij van Maanen from Katwijk. Videos on TikTok in which the cut-open croissant is filled with Swiss cream were viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times. If you hadn’t tried the ‘crompouce’ yet, you didn’t quite seem to count.
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The popularity of the ‘crompouce’ received an extra boost when the magazine ‘Kek Mama’ declared it the delicacy of the year. Albert Heijn, one of the largest supermarket chains in the Netherlands, decided to offer the product in all their stores. Even in Flanders, interest in this new pastry was growing. “The demand for the ‘crompouce’ is beyond comprehension for the bakers,” was the headline in De Telegraaf.
Division in the Netherlands
Despite the excitement and praise for the ‘crompouce’, this pastry has sown division within Dutch society. The younger generation loves it, while the older generation reacts critically. Some liken it to a “failed cordon bleu,” while others on social media are advocating for the preservation of traditional delicacies. The tompouce, also known as tompoes, is an iconic puff pastry in the Netherlands, which even served as inspiration for cartoonist Marten Toonder when he came up with his famous cartoon character, Tom Poes.
The rivalry between the ‘crompouce’ and the tompouce led to a humorous ‘mini-war’ in the supermarket this week. Albert Heijn heavily advertised the ‘crompouce’, which sold like hot cakes. In response, Hema launched a counter-advertisement in which they promoted their traditional pastries with the slogan: “Why make something crooked that is straight?” and as a witty subtitle: “the one and only.”
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The question remains who will ultimately emerge as the winner: the ‘crompouce’ or the tompouce. While the ‘cronut’ fell into obscurity over time, the croissant and the donut still remain popular. The ‘crompouce’ may cause division, but one thing is certain: it has the Netherlands in its grip, and the battle between this sweet creation and the beloved tompouce will undoubtedly cause many tasty discussions.
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