Stroop to conquer.

A few years ago I noted the potential menace of the stroopwafel, as purveyed to an unsuspecting public by an outfit called Belgian Boys. Well, the Boys are still around, with more products than ever, trying to bring America under the heel of Brussels. 

But wait! Another stroopwafel has entered the fray! 

Stroop! There it is!

Daelmans is also selling prepackaged stroopwafels -- this one came from a CVS, the chain drugstore that's awfully concerned about our health, which means this must be health food, right?

Well, no, which means that our already blubbery populace is being attacked by easily edible stroopwafels. Which begs the question:

What the heck is a stroopwafel?

Stroop is Dutch for syrup, but Dutch is the main language in both Belgium and the Netherlands. Wikipedia says that stroopwafels are "a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel syrup filling in the middle." Well, they certainly look like what we consider waffles, but what this is is a cookie, and a supercookie at that -- huge and layered and filled with caramel goodness. Wikipedia also says "Stroopwafels are popular in the Netherlands, and were first made in the city of Gouda."

Wait -- Netherlands? Not Belgium, as the Belgian Boys would have is believe?

Nay! says Daelmans, which started making stroopwafels in Vlijmen, Netherlands, in 1909.

So now I'm thinking we're not the victim of a single foreign attack, but rather we're the battleground between Belgium and the Netherlands. Yes, we are in the peril of a proxy war between these tiny titans of Europe. Who will win America with their stroopy deliciousness?

As of now, I am pulling for the Netherlands. I liked the Belgian Boys stroopwafel a lot, but I give the edge to Daelmans, which was more solid and had more flavorful caramel. Should I even choose sides in such a fight?

Yes, when it tastes that good.