When planning a trip to this country, you want to embrace the immensity: visit all the famous historical sites, admire the local sights and be sure to try what the Dutch have traditionally cooked and eaten for many centuries.
Lovers of coffee and chips
The Dutch drink coffee from morning to evening. They start their day with this drink, with an impressive portion, at lunchtime and even in the evening for dinner, most will also prefer coffee. And that’s not counting the breaks between main meals for … coffee!
Chips are popular as snacks in Holland and are eaten with mayonnaise, ketchup, or other sauces.
Basic gastronomic preferences
The Dutch are not deprived of their own authentic cuisine, despite the constant interference in the traditions of other countries. Although by and large it is a kind of symbiosis of traditional cuisines of other countries – the fusion direction is popular here, that is, a mixture of different techniques and products. France, Indonesia, Mediterranean and Eastern countries – there are echoes of each in the Dutch cuisine.
After France, Holland is the second country that is literally obsessed with cheese. They are produced in large quantities for every taste and budget. Young, mature, soft and firm, spicy and salty – always tasty and natural. Try the local gouda, edam, maasdam, spiced cheeses with a blue crust – look for your own taste!
Holland has its own access to the sea, so fish dishes are a frequent guest on their table. The most popular fish delicacy is pickled herring, which is usually eaten whole, not in portions, but for inexperienced tourists, of course, it will be served to you in the traditional way.
Holland is also famous for its traditional pea soup, in which even a spoon stands – it turns out so thick. It is served with sausages, rye bread and herbs.
The Dutch have a lot of food, where the main ingredient is potatoes. One of the traditional dishes is stamppot, a mashed potato that resembles our mashed potatoes, served with sausages and hot sauce. A Dutch meat stew made from stews, boiled potatoes, carrots and onions is called gutzpot – it is also in great demand among tourists, as is the national dish – hotspot: boiled or stewed beef, cut into slices.
The local smoked sausage in Holland is rukvorst. It is prepared from pork, but other types of meat and poultry are not excluded.
The Dutch love their dish bitterball – balls made from different types of meat with the addition of spices and seasonings. What makes them taste specific and slightly bitter. They are served as a snack for alcoholic drinks in bars. Bitterballs look like meatballs, but their cooking technique is different: they are deep-fried until crispy.
Apple pie in Holland consists of almost all apples with a barely noticeable layer of puff pastry. This cake is served with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream – this dessert will not leave you indifferent. Another traditional Dutch sweet is stropwafli. They have been prepared there since the XNUMXth century, with caramel syrup fillings.
Poffertyes are lush Dutch pancakes, and trying them is very dangerous for the figure, otherwise not everyone can stop. This is a kind of local fast food that is sold even in street eateries.
What do they drink in Holland
In addition to coffee and tea, which are drunk throughout the day, the Dutch love hot chocolate, milk with anise and warm lemonade (kwast).
Beer, local varieties Heineken, Amstel, Grolsch are very popular among alcoholic beverages. It is served in very small glasses, so that during use it does not have time to heat up and lose its unusual taste.
The most popular drink in Holland is Enever, which was invented by a local doctor. The drink is young and harsh, aged, with a lemon or blackberry flavor, and is the prototype of the English gin.
The tourist will also be offered the local liqueur Advocaat – a liquid cream of beaten eggs and cognac, which is consumed with ice cream.