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Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival baking from the heart of the Low Countries
Celebrated author Regula Ysewijn explores sweet and savoury bakes from Antwerp to Amsterdam.
"I have utterly fallen in love with this beautiful book." NIGELLA LAWSON
"The scholarship here is astonishing. It is an engrossing, original and beautiful book." DIANA HENRY
From the heart of the Low Countries of northwestern Europe, Belgium has long forged a distinctive culinary identity through its seasonal feasts and festivals. In this follow-up to her internationally lauded Pride and Pudding and Oats in the North, Wheat from the South, Regula Ysewijn turns her attention to the baking traditions of this unique country - the place of her birth.
Regula uses history and art to guide the reader through a fascinating period, and paints - through her stunning photography and recipes - the landscape of the region's rich baking culture. Dark Rye and Honey Cake explores a whole year of rustic bakes, unearthing long-forgotten recipes and reviving treasured favourites. There are waffles and winter breads for the 12 days of Christmas, pancakes for Candlemas and Carnival, pretzels for Lent, vlaai and fried dough for Kermis and all the special sweet treats that make up Saint Nicholas and Saint Martin.
With this collection of timeless recipes, Regula reveals the origins of her country's ancient food culture and brings a little Belgian baking into every home.
"This is a gorgeous book; full of recipes I want to cook, foods I want to eat, and pictures I want to lose myself in for hours on end." DR ANNIE GRAY, BBC The Victorian Bakers and The Sweetmakers and author of The Greedy Queen
"A rare glimpse into the rich and fascinating food culture of one of our closest neighbours - a work of scholarship, but also a work of art." FELICITY CLOAKE, Guardian and author of One More Croissant for the Road and Red Sauce Brown Sauce
"An irresistibly tactile book, and a work of art in its own right, filled with detail and description, glorious photography and curious tales, surprise and satisfaction. I cannot think of a single person that it would not appeal to." CAROLINE EDEN, author of Black Sea and Red Sands
"I have utterly fallen in love with this beautiful book." NIGELLA LAWSON
"The scholarship here is astonishing. It is an engrossing, original and beautiful book." DIANA HENRY
From the heart of the Low Countries of northwestern Europe, Belgium has long forged a distinctive culinary identity through its seasonal feasts and festivals. In this follow-up to her internationally lauded Pride and Pudding and Oats in the North, Wheat from the South, Regula Ysewijn turns her attention to the baking traditions of this unique country - the place of her birth.
Regula uses history and art to guide the reader through a fascinating period, and paints - through her stunning photography and recipes - the landscape of the region's rich baking culture. Dark Rye and Honey Cake explores a whole year of rustic bakes, unearthing long-forgotten recipes and reviving treasured favourites. There are waffles and winter breads for the 12 days of Christmas, pancakes for Candlemas and Carnival, pretzels for Lent, vlaai and fried dough for Kermis and all the special sweet treats that make up Saint Nicholas and Saint Martin.
With this collection of timeless recipes, Regula reveals the origins of her country's ancient food culture and brings a little Belgian baking into every home.
"This is a gorgeous book; full of recipes I want to cook, foods I want to eat, and pictures I want to lose myself in for hours on end." DR ANNIE GRAY, BBC The Victorian Bakers and The Sweetmakers and author of The Greedy Queen
"A rare glimpse into the rich and fascinating food culture of one of our closest neighbours - a work of scholarship, but also a work of art." FELICITY CLOAKE, Guardian and author of One More Croissant for the Road and Red Sauce Brown Sauce
"An irresistibly tactile book, and a work of art in its own right, filled with detail and description, glorious photography and curious tales, surprise and satisfaction. I cannot think of a single person that it would not appeal to." CAROLINE EDEN, author of Black Sea and Red Sands
546 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2023
19 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 8, 2023
Top !!!
March 16, 2025
Prachtige foto’s en zoveel interessante bakgeschiedenis dat ik onze traditionele wafels en koeken nu veel meer weet te waarderen 🧇
June 20, 2023
Prachtig boek voor iedereen die houdt van geschiedenis, bakken en mooie foto's.
August 10, 2023
Een bakboek zoals ik er nog nooit één gezien heb, omdat het veel meer is dan dat. Als een persoon met liefde voor bakken, lezen én geschiedenis vormt dit boek de ideale combo. Regula neemt ons mee door de gebak-geschiedenis van de Lage Landen, met prachtige beelden. Ook boeiend om te lezen zijn Regula haar ervaring met Vlaams gebak én de belangrijke context helemaal aan het begin van het boek die me toch even deed stilstaan bij de traditionele recepten waar wij zo van houden … Prachtig en eerlijk. Op het boek staat een recensie “Ik ben verliefd op dit prachtige boek”, and I couldn’t agree more.
September 28, 2024
it was interesting
I can’t say I looked at a single recipe and definitely wanted to make them. I think it is a beautiful book though.
I can’t say I looked at a single recipe and definitely wanted to make them. I think it is a beautiful book though.
November 4, 2023
This is amazing, and includes recipes, history of baking, and artworks showing where some of the items have been painted. I have a short list of recipes to try, and had to return it to the library (with no renewals) as there was a reservation after me.
March 17, 2023
Definitely on the higher-brow than your average cookbook, this discusses the history of the Low Countries (Benelux without the Lux bit) before it gets to food. It's aimed at honouring and reviving the traditional, feast day-type baking of these realms. To that end, we get (possibly over-large) images and (potentially over-long) essays before hitting the first recipe, for a beery waffle. Many other waffles follow – each slightly different due to their mixture and of course their size, depth and decoration courtesy the relevant waffle iron. Yes, you could be discussing semantics here for all I know, for several browsers here will see little that is vital in the differences between them all.
Next comes certain breads, even a Grecian-styled one, pancakes, krakelingen and pretzels – stuff that I am sure tastes marvellous, but which I have no intention (nor capacity) to make. Vlaais and taarts galore could keep you more than occupied, and if the likes of Amelie and Chocolat were to combine, provide you with more than enough to find a perfect shop to bake and sell it all in, alongside the love of your life. This is stuffed with such wish-fulfilment on a plate, or just sold in a paper bag on a street corner to a winsome lass, if the portrait photography involved is anything to go by.
As a result it seems at first glance to have less concern for the kitchen-bound practicalities, and more concern for the heritage, the vintage appeal, the romance. But even the briefest of glimpses shows these recipes are easily followable, and while I don't regret never becoming a home baker I can see that this would have entertained me royally if I had done so.
Earnest, sincere, high-falutin' in visuals and yet accessible to all, this does definitely pack the historical essays in alongside the recipes more than you may ever have seen before, but there's very little to fault. Even from someone like me, for whom this is so not aimed, this smacks of being a cherishable success. A strong four stars.
Next comes certain breads, even a Grecian-styled one, pancakes, krakelingen and pretzels – stuff that I am sure tastes marvellous, but which I have no intention (nor capacity) to make. Vlaais and taarts galore could keep you more than occupied, and if the likes of Amelie and Chocolat were to combine, provide you with more than enough to find a perfect shop to bake and sell it all in, alongside the love of your life. This is stuffed with such wish-fulfilment on a plate, or just sold in a paper bag on a street corner to a winsome lass, if the portrait photography involved is anything to go by.
As a result it seems at first glance to have less concern for the kitchen-bound practicalities, and more concern for the heritage, the vintage appeal, the romance. But even the briefest of glimpses shows these recipes are easily followable, and while I don't regret never becoming a home baker I can see that this would have entertained me royally if I had done so.
Earnest, sincere, high-falutin' in visuals and yet accessible to all, this does definitely pack the historical essays in alongside the recipes more than you may ever have seen before, but there's very little to fault. Even from someone like me, for whom this is so not aimed, this smacks of being a cherishable success. A strong four stars.
March 29, 2023
Se cercate un libro di ricette tradizionali legate al mondo della pasticceria belga, qui ne troverete a centinaia (forse un po' ripetitive: di fatto, il libro è composto al 70% da waffles e crepes in ogni possibile variante).
Ma se cercate un libro sulla storia della cucina belga, e sui piatti che nel passato venivano portati in tavola per onorare le grandi feste del calendario liturgico civile, questo è il libro che fa per voi. Include anche centinaia di ricette, accompagnate da fotografie suggestive; ma soprattutto, contiene pagine (e pagine e pagine...) di Storia, con informazioni preziosissime e precise sugli usi, i costumi e le tradizioni locali, e sulla loro evoluzione attraverso i secoli. Se guardiamo alla quantità (e anche alla difficile reperibilità) delle informazioni fornite, è nettamente migliore rispetto ai libri (pur molto godibili) che l'autrice ha dedicato alla cucina britannica. E' un libro di ricette, ma si legge (se lo si vuole) come un libro di Storia e di folklore.
Ma se cercate un libro sulla storia della cucina belga, e sui piatti che nel passato venivano portati in tavola per onorare le grandi feste del calendario liturgico civile, questo è il libro che fa per voi. Include anche centinaia di ricette, accompagnate da fotografie suggestive; ma soprattutto, contiene pagine (e pagine e pagine...) di Storia, con informazioni preziosissime e precise sugli usi, i costumi e le tradizioni locali, e sulla loro evoluzione attraverso i secoli. Se guardiamo alla quantità (e anche alla difficile reperibilità) delle informazioni fornite, è nettamente migliore rispetto ai libri (pur molto godibili) che l'autrice ha dedicato alla cucina britannica. E' un libro di ricette, ma si legge (se lo si vuole) come un libro di Storia e di folklore.
April 10, 2023
This was interesting to look through and I enjoyed the photography, the photographer has made the pictures interesting and artistic.
The recipes were interesting but none I'd particularly want to make. This book has a collection of recipes from the Netherlands, this could be quite interesting if you have connections with the country. To make many of the recipes you need traditional wooden molds or waffle irons, without these the results will look dramatically different. There were quite a few waffle based recipes.
The author had some odd views about meat eating. She states she didn't want to eat meat if the animals weren't treated kindly as she thought that eating a stressed animal would make you stressed because you are what you eat. The author has missed the point that all animals are stressed when they are killed.
2.5 stars
The recipes were interesting but none I'd particularly want to make. This book has a collection of recipes from the Netherlands, this could be quite interesting if you have connections with the country. To make many of the recipes you need traditional wooden molds or waffle irons, without these the results will look dramatically different. There were quite a few waffle based recipes.
The author had some odd views about meat eating. She states she didn't want to eat meat if the animals weren't treated kindly as she thought that eating a stressed animal would make you stressed because you are what you eat. The author has missed the point that all animals are stressed when they are killed.
2.5 stars
April 24, 2023
Regula Ysewijn. Wat een koningin!
Wie anders dan zij kan recepten combineren met lessen geschiedenis en kunst?
Wie anders dan zij kan mij, iemand die altijd chips boven koekskes zal kiezen, doen watertanden over een paar perfect gestileerde wafels?
Wie anders dan @brunovergauwen, die ik pas ontdekte dankzij Het lied van de bultrug, kan ook nog eens de meest schone cover afleveren?
Dit boek is er eentje om te koesteren en om cadeau aan iedereen te doen. En om onze baktradities in ere te houden.
En dat mag met een elektrisch wafelijzer. Maar het kan ook met een echt ijzeren model op een leuvense stoof. You do you 🧇🥞🥨.
Wie anders dan zij kan recepten combineren met lessen geschiedenis en kunst?
Wie anders dan zij kan mij, iemand die altijd chips boven koekskes zal kiezen, doen watertanden over een paar perfect gestileerde wafels?
Wie anders dan @brunovergauwen, die ik pas ontdekte dankzij Het lied van de bultrug, kan ook nog eens de meest schone cover afleveren?
Dit boek is er eentje om te koesteren en om cadeau aan iedereen te doen. En om onze baktradities in ere te houden.
En dat mag met een elektrisch wafelijzer. Maar het kan ook met een echt ijzeren model op een leuvense stoof. You do you 🧇🥞🥨.
June 13, 2024
This book makes me so happy! Not only are the recipes phenomenal and extensive, but the author also does a great job making the history and culture of the recipes come to life alongside colorful pictures.
These recipes and the info in this book have enabled me to keep my heritage and culture close, while living far away.
10/10 would recommend. Would make a great gift for any Dutch/Belgian baking enthusiast with ambition and curiosity.
These recipes and the info in this book have enabled me to keep my heritage and culture close, while living far away.
10/10 would recommend. Would make a great gift for any Dutch/Belgian baking enthusiast with ambition and curiosity.
May 26, 2023
This is a beautiful cookbook, but also history of the Low Countries' Festival baking. I read every word of every essay and studied every photograph, and learned so much.
I love it! I don't know if I'll ever bake anything from the recipes, but I'll have them in my collection.
I love it! I don't know if I'll ever bake anything from the recipes, but I'll have them in my collection.
October 28, 2023
Beautiful. A treasure. And a art book
December 4, 2024
Interesting read from a historical standpoint, though I'm not sure how many of the recipes I will actually end up trying.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews