Which baker is folklore said to have invented the stroopwafel?

Folklore credits baker Gerard Kamphuisen with inventing the stroopwafel.

The stroopwafel is a Dutch treat made from two thin, round waffle biscuits joined by a warm syrup filling, usually based on caramel, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. It is especially associated with Gouda in South Holland, where the confection first became popular.

The attribution to Kamphuisen is a traditional story rather than an uncontested historical fact. According to the account, he opened his bakery in Gouda in 1810, and the oldest known written recipe is dated to 1840. Other folklore says early bakers created stroopwafels by sweetening leftover crumbs and scraps with syrup.

Stroopwafels were initially sold locally and spread to other Dutch cities after about 1870. They are often placed over a cup of hot coffee or tea so the filling softens. The name itself means “syrup waffle” in Dutch, although the finished product is closer to a filled biscuit than a thick breakfast waffle.