Dancing Moose Cafe: oliebollen day

Today was oliebollen day at our local cafe, the Dancing Moose. Ton Megens, chef and co-owner with his wife, Yvonne, were away in the Netherlands with their extended families over the holidays. Literally translated as "oil balls", oliebollen is a light, yeast raised dough mixed with raisins and apple and deep-fried in oil and is traditionally enjoyed through Christmas time in the Netherlands, but most especially on New Year's Eve. Having missed the holiday here, Ton and Yvonne decided to treat their neighbours and customers to a day of the festive confection. Tim Hortons and Robin's Donuts, eat your heart out; the Dancing Moose oliebollen wins the doughnut prize!

I love this story from Wikipedia:

They are said to have been first eaten by Germanic tribes in the Netherlands during theYule, the period between December 26 and January 6. The Germanic goddess Perchta, together with evil spirits, would fly through the mid-winter sky. To appease these spirits, food was offered, much of which contained deep-fried dough. It was said Perchta would try to cut open the bellies of all she came across, but because of the fat in the oliebollen, her sword would slide off the body of whoever ate them.


http://thedancingmoosecafe.com/

You can visit Ton and Yvonne at their Dancing Moose website (see above). Bookmark it because they will be expanding the site soon. Along with the cafe, they have a glorious rental cabin near the ocean and in the coming year will have tent sites you can rent -- furnished, heated prospector-like tents, so this is high end camping at reasonable prices (great for families and bikers and anyone who wants a comfortable and affordable camping experience.) At breakfast you can enjoy a very special Dutch pancake called pannekoek or Belgian waffles or other delicious baked goods, and for lunch they serve soup with a Dutch twist.

Winter hours: Thursday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM, and also open Saturdays from 6 PM - 9 PM if there is enough demand