The word stroopwafel means 'syrup-waffle' in Dutch. They were invented in the town of Gouda (the same town as the cheese) around 200 years ago. A baker is said to have used up scraps of waffle dough by pressing them thin and sticking them together with syrup.
Making one is a craft. The baker presses a small ball of dough in a hot waffle iron. While the waffle is still soft and warm, they slice it through the middle with a thin blade, brush warm syrup onto one half, and squish the two halves back together. As it cools, the syrup goes wonderfully sticky.
The classic way to eat a stroopwafel is to balance it on top of a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate for a minute. The steam softens the waffle and melts the syrup inside, so when you bite in, it is gooey and warm. Dutch children grow up doing this from a very young age.
Today, stroopwafels are sent all over the world. NASA astronauts have even eaten them in space - they survive the journey to the International Space Station because they don't make crumbs.

