Lekker of niet? – Introduction to the Dutch cuisine
By Maria
As half of the summer holidays have passed, the academic year is starting soon! Some of you might be coming to the Netherlands for the first time and wondering what people here eat. You might have heard that Dutch cuisine isn’t the best, but I believe it has lots to offer! Let me show you some essentials you should definitely try once you’re here. 😊
National cuisine legacy, aka stamppot
Andijviestamppot – here with sausage and sour cabbage
The most popular dish you’ll hear about is Stamppot, which means a pot with something mashed (from the word stampen). There are different types of stamppot, but my favourite is andijviestamppot. In our kitchen, it consists of mashed potatoes with endive and fried bacon on top. There can be slight variations on the choice of meat and vegetable depending on your preferences. Some might joke that it’s not so nice to eat, but I must say I like it! On a November evening, coming home after cycling in rain and wind, the warm potato smell in the house means that you’re saved as your housemates are making stamppot!
Saturday market delicacy – kibbeling and haring!
Next stop is the Saturday market, where you can buy fried kibbeling and haring at local fish stands. Kibbeling is a deep-fried snack made of cod fish chunks, usually served with garlicky mayonnaise sauce. It’s one of my favourite market snacks! But be careful, because a freshly made one is super hot so watch out haha! I also mentioned haring, which is raw herring. It can be served in smaller pieces or in a bun with raw onion and pickled cucumber. If you’re lucky, you might spot a true Dutch person eating a big whole herring by holding it by the tail! 😊
Kibbeling
Haring
An infinite delight – Dutch cheese
I hope you’ve heard about Dutch cheese! If not, you’ll soon discover how much this country offers when it comes to the golden beauty. I highly recommend visiting the open-air market in Wageningen (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and checking out the cheese stands, sometimes you can even try some samples.
You’ll find many varieties of cheeses, from the popular gouda and goat cheese to crazy ones with chilli and cumin. I love any kind of cheese, whether on a good slice of bread (broodje kaas) or with crepes and powdered sugar (pannenkoeken met kaas). Explore as much as you can because it’s so delicious!
Pannenkoeken met kaas – crepes with cheese
Sweet or salty – stroopwafel or drop?
Many of you know the Netherlands is the country of sweet waffles – stroopwafel. These are two pieces of crunchy thin waffles sticked together by gooey caramel/honey filling. It can be eaten straight out of the bag or preheated on top of a mug with hot tea, coffee, or milk. You can also find shops or market stands selling freshly made ones – highly recommended!
But, have you also heard of drop? Here, liquorice is called drop, and the Dutch love it! We’re talking about black, salty, and sweet candies. Not everyone likes them immediately, as their savoury taste might be hard to accept at first. It took me two years to get used to the taste, but now I love them. It’s very risky if there’s an open bag of drop around me, haha! 😛
So, what do you think? Will you find these Dutch cuisine essentials lekker of niet – yummy or not? Let us know in the comments what you think about local specialities!
Groetjes,
Maria