Dutch cuisine is known for quality cheese, an abundance of seafood and flavored drinks. The list of popular Dutch dishes is small, but it is worth taking a closer look at traditional Dutch cuisine.
What is worth trying in Holland: the variety of goodies on offer will appeal to lovers of fish dishes, connoisseurs of meat food, and especially those with a sweet tooth. It is impossible to resist the local drinks: traditional coffee and tea, milk with anise and cool kvass will not leave you indifferent.
Features of Dutch cuisine
In Amsterdam and other cities of the Netherlands, unlike imposing Paris, the townspeople are accustomed to fast, but no less tasty and rich dishes instead of breakfast, and sometimes lunch.
An obligatory product on the menu of every Dutchman is herring. Delicious fresh fish is a favorite snack of the local population. In small eateries or street shops, you can always choose an unusual “snack”, with the main ingredient – Dutch herring. Traditionally, such a treat is eaten for breakfast or lunch, used as a filling for sandwiches and hot dogs. Sometimes such a very independent product is supplemented with thinly sliced onions and seasonings.
The national cuisine of Holland is a minimum of ingredients and a maximum of natural taste. For the Dutch, it is important that the products used are as fresh, nutritious and affordable as possible.
Food in Holland is easy to prepare, does not require a lot of time, effort and money. Here, without exception, everyone consumes a large amount of potatoes every day. This root vegetable is popular as a side dish for seafood. Travelers call this country “the kingdom of the potato” because of the widespread use of this food product. In a cafe or restaurant, there are french fries on the menu, which goes well with fast-digesting protein foods.
Dutch cuisine is a paradise for the budget traveler:
- Available fresh products (fish, meat, milk, vegetables).
- A minimum of food ingredients.
- Hot first courses are consumed in the evening.
- Few spices are used.
- Outwardly, the food looks simple (home-style).
What to try in Holland: national dishes in the Netherlands
Tasty, satisfying and fast – the favorite motto of the Dutch. Sandwiches here are like a full-fledged national dish of Holland. Showcases beckon with a huge selection: in tourist centers and small towns, it is easy to pick up lush fresh buns with delicious fillings to your taste. Sandwiches can be ordered with meat filling, seafood, various types of cheese and fresh herbs.
The national cuisine of Holland can be divided into local snacks, hot dishes and desserts.
Croquettes are something that every tourist is recommended to try in Holland. These are deep-fried sticks with fillings (from meat to vegetable). Note that they offer such a treat both in small bakeries and in traditional restaurants. A similar dish is bitterbalen – fried meat balls with a delicate filling. You can emphasize the taste of such snacks with the help of sauces or local beer.
Do not forget that the Netherlands is a maritime country, so choosing what to try from food in Holland, we offer kibbeling – small pieces of cod fried in breadcrumbs. This dish has collected a huge number of positive reviews from tourists, because the tender fish meat goes well with a crispy fried crust.
For lovers of fish and other seafood, Dutch national cuisine is a sweet dream. Traveling around the country at the beginning of the fishing season, you can visit an unusual herring festival.
According to topschoolsintheusa, “hot” dishes of Dutch cuisine have a characteristic local accent. For example, experienced travelers in the expanses of the “lower lands” recommend trying stumppot – an unusual and very tender mashed potatoes, which includes such familiar products as potatoes, carrots and onions. And if you replace carrots with sauerkraut in the recipe, you will get another traditional dish (zyurkol ). Such purees go well with fried sausage, similar to the one served in street cafes in Austria.
It is not difficult to correctly prioritize the choice of menu, you just need to remember what food in Holland is the most famous and popular not only in the country, but also far beyond its borders. It’s definitely cheese! In local shops, the choice is so large that it can easily turn your head. Remember, merchants always offer to try varieties of goods in order to choose the right “your” cheese. It can be a product with special seasonings, salt, goat, sheep.
It’s hard to imagine street food in Holland without pancakes. Ready-made pancakes of different sizes are offered in cafes, in the gastronomic departments of supermarkets. They are recommended to be supplemented with meat and fish stuffing, fried vegetables, and even used as a base for pizza.
Particular attention should be paid to local sweets: stroopwafels (waffles with caramel), marmalade, marzipans, cookies are important details of any Dutch table. But there are unusual treats in the Netherlands – monpasier (licorice sweets), which you should definitely take with you as a tasty souvenir.
Prices in cafes, restaurants and supermarkets
Traveling along the coast of the North Sea, you will be pleasantly surprised how much food costs in Holland. Prices for food and ready-made meals are democratic and affordable for any tourist. For example, a large burger with a delicious seafood filling will cost no more than 2.5 €.
The cost of dinner in a cafe (for example, national consommé pot-a-fe (broth) + risttafel (fried rice with vegetables and beef) + tea with milk) will be no more than 25 €.
Prices in restaurants are also affordable, while the entire menu is kept in a modest manner. It is almost impossible to find a restaurant that glorifies “haute cuisine” here. At the same time, chefs skillfully transform traditional products into tasty and healthy combinations (prices vary 35-50 €).
Please note that it is better to get acquainted with traditional dishes in small family establishments, where old recipes have been preserved, and the atmosphere is sincere and atmospheric.
Street food and local supermarkets with a kitchen are a good option for those who want to spend their holidays in the homeland of tulips as cheaply as possible.
