#HTE

STROOP! Is a Healthier Take On a Classic Dessert

As part of Dutch Design Week 2016, food designer Chloé Rutzerveld created a modern take on the classic Dutch stroopwaffle treat. For those who aren’t familiar, the stroopwaffle—translation “syrup waffle"—is a popular delicacy in the Netherlands made from two thin layers of waffle cookie sandwiched around a caramel-like syrup filling.

Ms. Rutzerveld developed her STROOP! project to explore new ways of working with the natural fiber and sweetness of root vegetables, specifically beets, carrots and celeriac. The project is also an exercise in waste reduction, as the waffles are made using by-products of the vegetable industry.

Waffles made from carrots, celeriac and beet roots. 

To source her ingredients, Rutzerveld works with a local vegetable processor based close to her studio in Eindhoven. Carrots are peeled and packaged for the supermarkets, while the left overs and oddly shaped ones get juiced. After the juicing, the fiber is left as a by-product (basically a by-product from the by-product)—the waffles are made from the fiber, and the syrup is made from the juice. One waffle contains 100 grams of carrot or beetroot, the same amount as in the entire vegetable. The waffles and the syrup are 100% vegetable based, with no added sugar, and are gluten free.

At this time, the STROOP! waffles are in prototype phase and are not commercially available. Based on the success of her showing in Eindhoven, Rutzerveld is pursuing bringing them to market. Her previous work was more speculative and conceptual, so the challenges of successfully developing a consumer product will present a interesting learning curve. However, her start is very promising, with interest from grocery chains, hotels, airplane catering companies, and restaurants.