It’s an old tradition on the Flemish coast. One that has largely fallen into neglect, but that is now being revived, at least on the beaches of the seaside resort of Koksijde (West Flanders). From this week, Berliner doughnuts can once again be bought on Koksijde beaches. It may be an old tradition, but it is also one that has disappeared in many places. In Koksijde local pastry baker Patisserie Gheysen will be out all summer with a refrigerated beach cart selling this coastal classic. “We’re still finding our feet a bit,” says baker Thomas.
Last year, baker Thomas Gheysen approached the town authorities of his own accord with his idea of selling Berliner doughnuts, a round pastry filled with custard or jam. Councillors proved keen on the idea, as Berliner doughnuts on the beach have a tasty and longstanding track record.
“This tradition has disappeared from quite a few beaches,” says Thomas. “I’m from Ostend myself, where it used to be the custom, and my colleague Jan is from De Panne, where it was also a tradition. It’s a shared memory that has resurfaced and which we’re now bringing back to life in Koksijde, where we both now live.”
In early March, the local council approved a licence for the sale of Berliner doughnuts on the beaches between the hamlet of Sint-Idesbald and central Koksijde-on-Sea and from Oostduinkerke-on-Sea to the Groenendijk district. And this week, Thomas was able to send his trolleys laden with Berliner doughnuts off to the beaches.
‘Still a bit of a trial-and-error process’
‘The buns are made in our bakery and we’ve provided trolleys fitted with cooling elements. These are meant to keep the Berliner doughnuts nice and fresh in warm weather,’ says Thomas. ‘We’ve arranged for about 150 Berliners per location today.’
“Will that be enough? I don’t know – we’re still figuring it out,” Thomas admits. “It’ll be a bit of a learning curve, with some trial and error. One day they’ll sell out, the next they won’t and we’ll have to throw them away. It’s the same in the bakery too.”
“I’m confident. We’ll be out there every day from 11 am to 6 pm, but as I said: we’ll see if those are the best hours. Perhaps we’ll find that nobody actually eats Berliner buns before 12 noon. Then, of course, we’ll adjust our times accordingly,” says Thomas.
Sales also depend on the weather. “In bad weather, we’re not going to send our student staff out onto the beach – that would be a pitiful sight,” says Thomas, who is nevertheless convinced that his Berliner doughnuts will be a hit. “We’ve done a lot of advertising, and ours are certainly tasty Berliner doughnuts,” laughs Thomas.
A history lesson
Berliners are made of fluffy pastry and filled with custard or jam. Locally they are called 'Berlijnse bol' or in French 'Boule de Berlin'. After the Great War ‘Berlin’ was dropped from the name and replaced by the name of the local waterway the River IJzer or 'Yser' in French, which had provided sound defence against the advance of German forces in the conflict. The doughnuts were then called 'Boule de l’Yser' in honour of this great West Flemish waterway.