Koek & Zopie

I lied before--I still have one last Elfstedentocht post.  There was one other "De Jager" comic related to the Elfstedentocht which was particularly interesting because it relates to general Dutch regional differences and general Dutch winter activities.

This comic says:

"Everyone in the country is out on the ice."

The flags are the regional flags (the one for Friesland and the other for Amsterdam).  

The signs say two things which sound almost exactly the same but which mean different things.

Koek & Zopie is a traditional Dutch winter skating snack.  I mentioned the "koek" previously.  

Zopie is a hot, spiced, alcoholic drink--kind of like wassail, I think.   

Coke & Zuipie, I believe, means "rum and coke".

I think that the point of this cartoon is that everyone is doing the same thing, almost.

Everyone wants to be involved in the ice skating fun.  

Amsterdam almost has it right but not quite because they are just a little too urban, 

a little too south, a little too "party" to really understand real Dutch ice culture.

Koek & zopie have apparently been a pretty traditional part of Dutch ice skating for a couple of centuries at least.  Dutch Wikipedia has an article on this combination which includes two 19th century landscapes which feature koek & zopie stands.  They are slightly more sophisticated than the picture in the above cartoon but you can see the resemblance.

A painting by Andreas Schelfhout, a Dutch painter.  You can see other pictures painted by him here.

A painting by Charles Leickert, a Belgian painter.  You can see other pictures painted by him here.

If you want to recreate this Dutch treat, you need an apple tart (those individual apple pies that you can buy in wax paper wrappers in gas stations are just the ticket) and some zopie.  Luckily for all of you, Dutch Wikipedia also includes an authentic recipe for this drink:

Bring 1 liter of beer, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, and 2 slices of lemon to a boil.  Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar and 2 eggs, mixing well.  Add 1/2 cup of rum.  Drink smaakelijk!

De-lish, eh?