Food is an important part of a country’s culture. Every country has different foods associated with it. Think British and you think fish and chips. Or Indonesia and you think nasi goreng. Think Germany and sausage springs to mind. You get the picture. If I say the Netherlands what food springs to mind? Probably cheese. But there’s much more to taste than cheese in the land of the Dutch.
Here are five Dutch foods worth trying – and some of them you can make yourself at home.
1. Bitterballen
These are small balls of meat (usually beef) in a roux sauce in breadcrumbs, which are then deep fried. Cafe menus commonly offer bitterballen on their menus as a snack to have with your beer. They are typically served with mustard on the side.
2. Stroopwafels
Biscuits. But not just any biscuits. These are little drops of heaven, or rather large chunks of heaven, depending on the size of stroopwafel you opt for. I’m actually convinced that a good stroopwafel solves just about any problem.
These Dutch delights are in essence syrup waffles and probably one of the most commonly bought gift by expats to take home for loved ones (although I have it on good authority that they are now available in UK supermarkets too).
They are traditionally placed over the top of a cup containing your hot coffee (or tea) so that the biscuit softens up before you eat it. If you can wait that long to eat it – good for you.
If you have a pizzelle iron you can make stroopwafels yourself – apparently…. for the rest of us they are available in any supermarket, bakery or fresh from any specialist stroopwafel maker you may find randomly in a market or on a shopping street. You’re welcome.
3. Stamppot
Stampwhat? Stamppot is essentially mashed potatoes (the Dutch after all are lovingly known as potato eaters –Â aardappelvreters) with a vegetable mixed through it, commonly kale, spinach or onions, carrots (known then at hutspot or hotchpotch in English). The Dutch tend to serve stamppot with a rookworst – a smoked sausage.
It’s traditionally served in the winter but I am seeing more and more variants around outside of the colder months. A good stamppot is a great winter tummy filler.
4. Pancakes
This is not so much about the pancakes, as about the whole pancake eating experience. The Dutch love their pancakes and you’ll find pancake restaurants just about everywhere, known as a pannenkoekboerderij.
These eating establishments often serve only pancakes and the decor is invariably that of an old farm house interior; think dimly lit and oozing gezellig. There are artefacts from farms and farmhouses hanging from the ceilings, and dotted around. Often a gnome or two (kabouter) will also feature, or there will be a cow theme going on. These places are, of course, a big hit with children.
The pancakes themselves are usually adorned with every choice of ingredient you could imagine but a kid’s pancake will almost definitely involve hagelslag, or sprinkles. (A trip to the supermarket will show you just how seriously the Dutch take their hagelslag.) And lots of them. And that classes as dinner.
It’s an experience you should definitely have if you are in the Netherlands.
5. Gourmet
My first Christmas in the Netherlands was quite a dining experience. It consisted of a family gourmet session, and I was a gourmet virgin.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, a gourmet is, put simply, a hotplate and a mini-grill compact enough to take centre stage on the dining table. Should you need it, the verb is ‘gourmetten‘. Diners cook their own meat and vegetables at the table.
What could be more perfect: hosting a dinner party you don’t have to cook for? Worse case scenario, you are expected to chop raw vegetables such as onions and peppers and prepare a few salads and sauces and put some bread in a basket or bowl.
As a host you can spend the entire evening with your guests, instead of slaving and stressing in the kitchen. You have plenty of time to chat and catch up whilst the food is cooking. Gezellig. More importantly, if your guests go down with food poisoning the next day, they only have themselves to blame (unless you served meat passed its best of course….).
The variation on this is the cheese fondue evening. Although this is by no means a Dutch invention, the Dutch have embraced fondue fondly, most likely because of the element of gezelligheid.
Some restaurants offer this gourmet or fondue experience so you can cook your own dinner at your table. It is definitely the height of gezelligheid when it comes to dining!
Over to You
What’s your favourite Dutch food? What Dutch food do you avoid?
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