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| Koek en zopie is a company with a local service area. | |
The stall on natural ice, with hot drink and food. Only when it freezes, which is what makes it notable.
What the name means
Koek is the spiced cake once sold there, zopie an old word for a hot strong drink. Both words have vanished outside this context.
What is on offer
Hot chocolate, pea soup, hot sausage, cake and sometimes mulled wine. A short list, much the same everywhere.
How it works
Stalls appear within a day of the ice being reliable and vanish with the thaw. Many councils keep the permits ready in case of frost.
Why it is becoming rare
Reliable natural ice is less frequent. Some winters bring not a single koek en zopie in the whole country, which was once unthinkable.
The Elfstedentocht
During a tour hundreds line the route. The last was in 1997, and the stalls have waited since.
Where to find it
Natural ice rinks in Friesland, Groningen and Overijssel, when it freezes hard enough.