City of ‘koek’

Deventer has the nickname koekstad in the Netherlands. Koek has been baked in Deventer since at least 1417 and its history is remarkably well documented in the town archives. A 15th-century ordinance outlines in detail the weight and appearance of the large and small Deventer loaf honey cakes: they must be long and narrow and weigh three and two pounds (1.3 kg and 900 g) respectively. The ordinance also stipulated that no one outside of Deventer was allowed to bake this honey cake.

The koek bakers’ guild supervised compliance with the ordinance, and new koek bakers had to swear an oath to honour it. The ordinance on the making of the cake was amended in 1534, 1544 and 1557. The cakes are provided with the mark of the biscuit baker and the city eagle. In 1593 there were 13 koek bakers connected to the guild; by 1637, the city had 25 bakers. The spices for making Deventer koek are outlined in a manuscript from 1477 written by Reyner Oesterhusen, who was a doctor from Deventer.²³