Grand Dessert – The history of dessert in The Hague

From traditional Dutch vlaflip to a royal dessert buffet. From baklava to a Charlotte Russe. From pudding and ice cream to delicious dessert cakes. Until October 26, 2025, the history and the pleasure of dessert in Europe take center stage at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Through cookbooks, baking molds, tableware, paintings, and much more, visitors dive into the delicious, sweet world of dessert. You will be surprised by a playful alternation of art-historical objects and creative expressions by contemporary makers.

Grand Dessert

The history of the dessert From traditional Dutch vlaflip to a royal dessert buffet. From baklava to a Charlotte Russe. From pudding and ice cream to delicious dessert cakes. Until October 26, 2025, the history and the pleasure of dessert in Europe take center stage at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Through cookbooks, baking molds, tableware, paintings, and much more, visitors dive into the delicious, sweet world of dessert. You will be surprised by a playful alternation of art-historical objects and creative expressions by contemporary makers. Author and TV personality Janny van der Heijden is the guest curator of the exhibition Grand Dessert – The History of Dessert.

  Love for sweets “Dessert is more than the ultimate conclusion to a meal. It is a reflection of cultural, social, and taste changes throughout the centuries,” says Van der Heijden. “You can tell so many stories through desserts. About wealth and poverty, about seduction and deception, domination and oppression. But above all, of course, also about the love of sweets.” Together with Suzanne Lambooy, curator at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, she worked this year on Grand Dessert – The History of Dessert, a mouth-watering exhibition. Van der Heijden: “A must-see for lovers of art, culture, and history as well as for anyone who loves sweets. Actually, for everyone, because who doesn’t love desserts?”

  The pleasure of dessert Puddings, ice cream, and tarts have been a beloved sweet conclusion to dinner for centuries. The word dessert is derived from the French verb 'desservir', which means 'to clear the table'. Consequently, it was served after the dinner table had been cleared. The exhibition focuses on the pleasure of dessert in Europe from 1600 to the present day. Various themes are covered, including ice cream, pudding, cake, fruit, desserts today, royal desserts, and French and British desserts. The colonial origins of ingredients such as sugar, vanilla, and cocoa, the variety of flavors, and the stories behind famous desserts are also discussed. The many stories associated with this are told in short videos by Janny van der Heijden, among others. One of the rooms is specially set up for children.

  Hundreds of objects The exhibition will feature hundreds of objects, sourced from the Kunstmuseum's own collection as well as loans from various Dutch museums, castles (e.g., Twickel Castle), country estates, and diverse private individuals. It ranges from baking molds to cookbooks, from dinnerware to cutlery, from ice cream molds to menus, and much more. The exhibition is part of a series of exhibitions by this museum on food culture. Grand Dessert is a follow-up to Nederland Dineert – vier eeuwen eetcultuur (2015/2016). That exhibition focused primarily on the serving of dishes, whereas the new exhibition on desserts centers on both the preparation and the serving process. With surprising, sometimes unknown stories. For who knows, for example, that sugar confectionery is a precursor to porcelain?   Special element: scents To immerse visitors even more in the seductive world of desserts, a special element has been added: scents. After all, you taste primarily with your nose, so aromas play a major role when you savor a delicious dessert. Smell the spicy scent of spekkoek, discover which fragrance elements come together in baklava or the Persian ice cream Bastani sonati. Enjoy the exquisite aroma of apple pie or the Indonesian dessert Es Doger with coconut milk and syrup from a wonderfully fragrant plant from Southeast Asia. In total, you will discover twelve scents. These were developed by International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), one of the world's largest producers of flavorings and fragrances, and also specializing in museum and heritage scents, in collaboration with Dr. Caro Verbeek, art historian, fragrance scientist, and curator of the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.

  Catering & activities In addition to the attractively furnished exhibition halls, including the atmospheric Period Rooms, visitors can also count on appropriate catering and an activity program during the exhibition period. This program includes lectures by Janny van der Heijden, Natasja Sadi, Danny Jansen, Enzo Pérès-Labourdette, Regula Ysewijn, and Nadia Zerouali. Culinary films are screened in the auditorium with an introduction by Janny van der Heijden. There is also plenty to experience for children and grandchildren, including in the special children's museum hall and during workshops and open children's and family studios. See the link at the bottom. Source: Kunstmuseum.nl  

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A must-see for anyone who loves puddings and desserts, don't miss it! Grand Dessert – The History of Dessert, through October 26, 2025: https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/nl/tentoonstellingen/grand-dessert-de-geschiedenis-van-het-toetje Previous museum blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/made-in-holland/