Limburgse vlaai (

Limburgish Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...

: ''vlaai'', ''vlaoj'', ''vla'' or ''flaai'', ''vlaaien'')Koene, A.
Food Shopper's Guide to Holland: A Comprehensive Review of the Finest Local and International Food Products in the Dutch Marketplace
' (2006). Eburon Uitgeverij B.V. p. 138. . Google Books. Retrieved on April 18, 2011. is a

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

consisting of dough and a filling, traditionally associated with the provinces of Limburg found both in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

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, as well as parts of

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across the border. Variations exist throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, and areas of the German state;

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near the border with the Netherlands. A ''vlaai'' is usually 26 – 31 centimetres in diameter. It is available in many different varieties of fruit fillings, such as cherry, apricot, strawberry, and plum. Other variations are a crumbled butter and sugar mix ("''greumellevlaai''" in

, or "''kruimelvlaai''" in Dutch) and a cooked rice and custard porridge ('' rijstevlaai''). Dutch laddervlaai

''Vlaai'' is often eaten on special occasions and for significant life events, particularly in the Dutch province of Limburg, such as birthdays and funerals. When eaten on the occasion of a funeral, the vlaai is typically made with black plum (''Zwarte pruimenvlaai'').

History

There is little known about the history of ''vlaaien'' that can be said for sure, except that they're not a purely Limburgish pastry. One legend asserts that ''vlaai'' dates back to before the 12th century. According to a mention in the chronicle of the abbey of Sint-Truiden (the extant copy dates to 1503), Duke Henry van Leuven laid siege to the city (located in modern-day

in 1189. "Honest and prudent eunuchs and burghers of the town" offered him " plăcintă" (as it was rendered in medieval Latin) that was baked following old local recipes. Supposedly, this persuaded Henry to give up the siege. "Placenta" is equated with the Middle Dutch word "vlade" but the legend is not otherwise verified, nor can it be certain exactly what baked goods might have been offered. The "manuscript Gent KANTL", a Middle Dutch cookbook from the 15th century, lists several fillings for ''vlade'' which resemble fillings of either fruit or custard, as well as a hot water crust pastry recipe for ''vlade''. It is not clear from the text alone whether the ''vlade'' recipes would have been put in a crust and one of them specifically mentions filling a bowl; '' vla'' in modern Dutch refers to flan or pudding. However, it also lists pies (''tarten'') with apple or cherry filling that are specifically baked in bread (''broot''), which bear a stronger resemblance to modern ''vlaai''. Until the mid-20th century ''vlaai'' was considered a luxury item in Limburg that would only be eaten during celebrations. In the countryside they were almost always baked by the people themselves, usually in traditional bakehouses. The ''vlaaien'' would be served in the afternoon, during the coffee break, with usually two or three different slices per person. Because of the growing economic prosperity after the Second World War, people started eating them more often. ''Vlaaien'' began to be more widely known outside of Limburg during the late 19th century, mostly because of growing tourism in Dutch southern Limburg. Many tourists took ''vlaai'' back home from local bakers. In 1986 the first ''vlaaien'' shop opened in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. The sale of ''vlaaien'' by several supermarket chains also helped in popularizing the pastry. Maria Hubertina Hendrix, also known as "Antje van de Stasie", also helped spread the popularity outside of Limburg. In the early 20th century she sold her ''Weerter vlaaitjes'' at the train station in Weert, this caused the pastry to become well known by travelers from all over the Netherlands. After a while, the ''Weerter vlaaien'' were also sold in Nijmegen.

Geographical indication

On 17 November 2022, the Netherlands and Belgium applied for protection of the designation ''Limburgse vlaai'' as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the European Union, which was granted starting 22 January 2024.

Notes

{{Dutch cuisine Dutch cuisine Limburgian cuisine Fruit pies Weert