Here you’ll eat the tastiest Bossche bol in the Netherlands
A sweet choux pastry filled with wonderfully creamy whipped cream and the purest chocolate… For me (and many others), the Bossche bol embodies happiness. The Godfather of this pastry is, of course, Jan de Groot, a baking phenomenon whose reputation reaches far beyond Den Bosch.
Sjekladebol
The Bossche bol was once simply a chocolate bol. Around 1845, the name chocolate bol first appeared in the archives. However, this bol was made with fruit, Swiss cream and other chocolate. In 1938, Mr Jan de Groot came up with the fantastic bol as we know it today. He called it the ‘Sjekladebol’, and it was the then-mayor Van Lanschot who christened the bol the Bossche bol, hoping to give the pastry national allure. Fast forward: he succeeded.
Jan de Groot: the tastiest Bossche bol in the Netherlands
When you say Bossche bol, you say Jan de Groot. Every day, around 1,500 Bossche bollen are dipped in chocolate at the bakery on Stationsweg in Den Bosch. The perfect calling card for tourists: walk out of the station and you’ll already see the queue for the Bossche bollen. The family business has been the undisputed king of making these bollen for years. Thanks to hard work and a secret family recipe. If only we knew…
Bossche bol life hacks
Eating Bossche bollen with a knife and fork? That’s not done. It belongs in the same silly category as eating pizza with a knife and fork and cutting your spaghetti. Jan de Groot’s granddaughter, Brigitte de Groot, eats her Bossche bol like an apple. “I always pick it up at the top. Then you turn it over. Start eating at the edges of the choux pastry, exactly where the chocolate overlaps the bottom of the choux pastry. This is easy and doesn’t make a mess!”
The only downside to Jan de Groot? The queue! You don’t want to stand in line for half an hour when you’re hungry and see the Bossche bollen gleaming in the display window. Luckily, you can find Jan de Groot all over Den Bosch. Almost every random pub, lunch spot or café has Jan de Groot Bossche bollen on the menu. Ideal. Skip the queue and eat this round ball of pure happiness elsewhere in the city.
Also read:
- This is the tastiest sausage roll in Noord-Brabant
- Moorkop vs Bossche Bol
- Hack: Whip your cream in half the time
