What’s local Dutch food?

Local Dutch food

Bitterballen and kroket, hutspot, stroopwafels, tompoezen, kapsalon, hagelslag, pannekoeken, oliebollen, erwtensoep, gehaktbal, drop, haring and kruidnoten are all traditional Dutch cuisine gastronomic delights.

What are all those Traditional Dutch meals and snacks? Here a list with Local Dutch food.

Bitterballen and kroket

Bitterballen are round mini krokets, so mini deep fried gravy bites. The Dutch eat them often in a bar while drinking beer or at the so called VrijMiBo (the Friday after work drink). The kroket is made from the same thing and also deep fried. At tourist places in for example Spain where you’ll find many Dutch you’ll aswell be able to buy the the kroket.

Stamppot or Hutspot

Stamppot or Hutspot is a dish the Dutch eat often in winter time. It is essentially potatoes and vegetables mashed together with gravy sauce and a smoked sausage.

stroopwafels

A stroopwafel is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle. Dutch people love it. You can buy them freshly made at any local street market or at any grocery store in the Netherlands.

Stroopwafel - Local food Amsterdam

Stroopwafel – Local cookie in the Netherlands

Tompoezen

The tompoes or tompouce is an iconic, rectangular pastry. It has two layers of puff pastry and always has the same rectangular form and is mostly pink or orange (during Kingsday or other Dutch National holidays). The filling is sweet, yellow pastry cream.

kapsalon

A kapsalon, translated into English is ‘hairdressing salon’ it originates from the inventor of the dish: a hairdresser in Rotterdam. The dish consists of fries, topped with döner or shawarma meat, grilled with a layer of Gouda cheese until melted and then covered with a layer of dressed salad greens. The dish is often served with garlic sauce and sambal.

Hagelslag

Dutch hagelslag (sprinkles) is used on bread. Most of the time butter is spread out so the hagelslag does not fall off your bread. They were named hagelslag after the weather phenomenon ‘hagel’, hail in English.

Pannekoeken & Poffertjes

A pannekoek is a Dutch Pancake which are usually larger and thinner than their American or Scotch pancake counterparts, but not as thin as French Crêpes. A Dutch pancake may contain slices of bacon, apples, cheese or raisins. Plain ones are often eaten with syrup (appelstroop) and powdered sugar. When eaten they are sometimes rolled up and eaten by hand or with cutlery. Another variety on the Dutch Pancake are the real small ones called ‘Poffertjes’. They are near to always eaten with powdered sugar and also delicious!

Oliebollen

Oliebollen are a variety of dumpling. A certain amount of dough is scooped and this douch is dropped into a deep fryer filled with hot oil. In this way, a sphere-shaped oliebol emerges. Oliebollen are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve. In wintertime, they are also sold in the street at mobile stalls.

erwtensoep or snert

Erwtensoep or snert, is the Dutch version of pea soup. It is a thick stew of green split peas, different cuts of pork, celeriac or stalk celery, onions, leeks, carrots, and often potato. Slices of rookworst (smoked sausage) are added before serving. The soup, which is traditionally eaten during winter time.

Gehaktbal

Meatballs are called gehaktbal and are often served with boiled potatoes and vegetables. They are usually made out of mixed beef and pork minced meat, eggs, onion and bread crumbs. They are associated with Wednesday because of the Dutch saying woensdag, gehaktdag (Wednesday, meatball day).

Small Dutch meatballs

Small Dutch meatballs. These are served on for example birthdays. The ones served at dinner time are usually bigger.

Haring

Herring or raw herring is called haring. The fish is very popular among Dutch people and can be bought at any fish stand in the street. It is mostly served with onions and sometimes pickles. ‘Broodje haring’, means that the herring will be served on bread. The fish is traditionally eaten by holding it by its tail and letting it slide into your mouth.

Kruidnoten or pepernoten

Kruidnoten are small cookie sweets eaten during and around Sinterklaas which is celebrated in the beginning of December. You may buy them in the supermarket or in a bakery from October onward and with big discounts after the 5th of December when the Dutch have celebrated Sinterklaas.

Drop

Licorice is called ‘drop’ in Dutch and is eaten throughout the year. The Dutch eat the most amount of licorice per capita in the world. The sweet comes in a variety of different flavours. The primary kinds of drop are: soft and sweet, soft and salty, hard and sweet and hard and salty. Drop can be bought in any supermarket.

Traditional Snackbar Febo in Amsterdam. Faster than fast food

Traditional Snackbar Febo in Amsterdam. Faster than fast food.

 

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