I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to eating. I’ll try anything once it’s been prepared well by a restaurant that I trust. Dutch cuisine is crazy, I don’t mean that it’s bizarre or unappetizing to your average eater, it’s just weird.
The Dutch don’t have a super established catalog of menu options and dishes haven’t made their way into the American gastronomy. When was the last time you ordered take out from a Dutch restaurant?
The way I see it, the food of the Netherlands is broken into two categories, fried confection and boiled meat. Here are some of the more interesting fare coming from Netherlands.
Poffertjes
When I said fried confection, I meant it. Poffertjes are basically mini pancakes with a high level of yeast which a fried to fluffy perfection.
The pancakes are dredged in butter and powdered sugar, they are often served by competitive street vendors who battle for the best Poffertjes in Amsterdam.
Bitterballen and Oliebollen
More fried food! Bitterballen are deep fried dough balls stuffed with chopped beef, flour, butter and spices and typically served with honey mustard sauce. Excellent food to be enjoyed after a couple rounds of beer.
Bitterballen’s sweet counterpart is Olliebollen which are comparable to fried balls of blueberry muffins.
I once ordered two dozen of these and brought them back to the hotel where I was staying. It was the perfect remedy after having enjoyed Amsterdam’s renowned “coffee shops”. When you visit Amsterdam, remember that there are tons of places to eat for those of you with a sweet tooth. And the best part is you won’t have to go very far to find them. The coffee shop culture here really goes hand in hand with the sweet food. So when you look for a hotel, you’ll never have to worry about being too far away from a shop that can satisfy your sweet tooth.
Sausages
Not surprisingly the Dutch love their encased tubes of meat! Sausage is the main protein component of nearly all dishes in the Netherlands. Now, I’m pretty particular when it comes to my sausage. I like mine to be heavily spiced and prepared on a grill or minced within a sauce.
The Dutch love boiling their sausages, which is something that makes me cringe. I’m not really a fan of any boiled meat. However, potato sausage is bomb you have to try that with cranberry sauce. Sounds weird but it’s really good.
Limburgse Vlaai
Two words; Waffle Pie. There really isn’t much more to say about it! Limburgse Vlaai is typically made with cherries and apricots then smothered in a sweet syrup and powdered sugar.
It is absolutely incredible. My biggest gripe with American pie is the flaky, granular crust, Liumburgse Vlaai gets the best of both worlds.
Patat
Perhaps the most modern contribution the Dutch have made to the world gastronomy is patat or French fries with crazy ingredients.
Foodies from around the world have flocked to FEBO and Burger Bar for their wild French fry concoctions. Most Dutch people will enjoy their patat simply with mayonnaise (not that gross really!) Adventurous eaters will try the pataje oorlog, which is French fries served with peanut butter and onions!
