During our holiday by the sea we saw sellers of ice creams on the beach, but also Berlin dumplings. Is there a specific reason why Berlin dumplings are sold on the beach?
Answer
Hi Tom,
There is no very specific reason, but Boules de Berlin (with a filling of jam) and Boules de l’Yser (with a filling of vanilla cream) were for a long time West Flemish regional products. They were therefore initially sold in restaurants and tearooms on the coast (respectively 1894 and 1885) and from 22 May 1905 (Rodolphe Dies, Blankenberge) also on the beach.
They were relatively cheap refreshments that were a real luxury for tourists. Moreover, a lot of butter was needed, which was abundantly available thanks to the wet polder meadows.
So, just like with butter biscuits, it was something that you could only taste in West Flanders for a very long time…
Answered by
dr. Karl Catteeuw
History of Upbringing and Education, Romanian, Music
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
.