Rotterdam baker Richard Visser has won the AD newspaper’s national ‘oliebollen’ test for the seventh time. Oliebollen are deep-fried ball-shaped donuts (with or without raisins) which are sold from roadside stalls during the Christmas season and are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve.

The runner up in the newspaper’s competition which was held for the 17th year, is Gebakkraam Bisschoff-Hanraths in Apeldoorn, followed by Bakerij Olink in Maastricht in third place.
The worst oliebollen are to be found at the Gebakkraam on the Garenmarkt in Leiden which, according to the AD, are bad enough to make you throw up.
Nevertheless, the overall quality of the donuts has improved this year. The paper says 59 out of the 105 oliebollen its jury ate passed the taste test. But five establishments fried their products in oil that did not meet health safety regulations, according to the AD.
The average oliebol costs 44 euro-cents this year, up four cents on 2008.