What is a Dutch “tompoes”?
Vroeg op Koningsdag voor tompoes en avontuur
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A tompoes is the Netherlands' most-iconic pastry: two layers of crisp bladerdeeg (puff pastry) sandwiching a thick band of whipped cream over a layer of banketbakkersroom (pastry cream), topped with smooth pink fondant icing. On Koningsdag (April 27), bakeries swap the pink icing for orange — the oranjetompoes is the country’s seasonal pastry. The dessert is named after a 19th-century Dutch theatre dwarf named Tom Pouce, a stage name for Jan Hannema. Dutch bakeries debate the correct way to eat one (lay it flat, scrape it apart, or attempt a knife-and-fork attack); Dutch comedy has long mined the question.
In this clip, a Dutch family wakes up early on Koningsdag: “Het is vroeg. Dat we tompoes en oranjegebakje gaan halen.”
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch Koningsdag and seasonal-bakery content (Albert Heijn, HEMA, Bakker Bart)
- ▸In Dutch food-history writing about Tom Pouce (Trouw, De Volkskrant, Onze Taal)
- ▸In Dutch comedy about how to eat a tompoes (Toren C, De Avondshow, Hans Teeuwen)
- ▸In Dutch baking and recipe content (Allerhande, Heel Holland Bakt, Margriet)