Amsterdam: Patisserie Holtkamp, Sinterklass and Zwart Piet

For the last seven years I have been visiting Amsterdam during the second week in November and every year I was delegated the task of acquiring a birthday cake. This proved to be more difficult than one might have thought and I would spend an afternoon walking around Amsterdam trying to find cake shops and patisseries who might produce a cake to order and furthermore ice birthday greetings on the cake to the lucky individual involved. As far as I could discern there was no tradition of giving or presenting a birthday cake which also meant that buying birthday candles was a near impossibility.


From year to year various shops would have closed, and or not be prepared to produce a cake. Two years ago I happened upon a patisserie called Holtkamp at 15 Vijzelgracht. The smooth channeled lines of the wooden shopfront and Art Deco leaded glass panels are a stylish introduction into a decadent world. Painted swirls of stylised patterns repeated around the interior of the small shop complete the decor, and within that small space were showcased a selection of the most luxurious and beautifully prepared cakes, pastries and tarts.


In the past most cities would have had their celebrated patisseries, being the center of people's attention for any special occasion. Many of these patisseries present their specialities produced to a very high standard, which are quite particular to them and their city, and only imitated elsewhere. Holtkamp stands out as one such patisserie in Amsterdam producing cakes and other confections that you might only find in Holland or indeed Amsterdam.


Among the cakes and tarts on display are the pastries such as the amandal boterstaaf, which is a rich glazed butter pastry roll with a sweet almond paste centre. Other cake shops sell a variation which is called speculaas-staaf and has whole almonds dotted in line on top of the pastry.


I generally visit Amsterdam in November at a time when the arrival of SinterKlaas and Zwart Piet by steamboat into the city is celebrated. This festival takes place in mid November and is celebrated throughout Holland, Flanders and parts of Alsace. For the first time visitor to Holland there is something of a culture shock when you see the locals blackening their faces, wearing read lipstick, moorish costume, and wearing afro-wigs, wandering about the streets playing music and handing out sweets.


The tradition is that SinterKlaas [Saint Nicholas] and his assistant Zwart Piet [Black Peter] arrive from Spain to deliver gifts to all the young children who have been good in the past year, on the eve of the feast of Sinterklaas on the 6th December. In the weeks leading up to eve of Sinterklaas, children traditionally left a carrot by the chimney for Sinterklaas' horse. If the children were good Zwart Piet would climb down the chimney and leave a chocolate letter, the first letter of the child's name, a marzipan animal or speculas-staff. If the children were bad Zwart Piet would leave a pile of sticks or an old shoe - a possible signal that if behaviour did not improve these implements might come into play!!


December is upon us and I am travelling to Spain tomorrow to do a little work, and thereafter spending Christmas in France. Little traditions such as the festivities surrounding Zwart Piet and Sinterklaas, the marzipan sweets and almond cakes in the low countries make these celebrations special, are unique to these regions and come as a complete surprise to me. It has been a few years since I was in Spain during December, and I look forward to tasting their seasonal turron, and other sweets and cakes. While I have never spent Christmas in France, I am likewise looking forward to experiencing their traditions first hand and possibly savouring a slice of bouche de noel.