In the Netherlands, however, many people tell a different story. Students will sit around the table and break bread, true… but then these same students will start spewing rhetoric about how Dutch cuisine is boring, limited, or simply bad. True, it is not as well-known as other European cuisines, such as Italian, French or Spanish, but it’s still got a place within the food hierarchy, even if that place isn’t entirely clear. However, I think anyone can find love within this cuisine filled with mystery meat specials and deep-fried galore. In this article, I’ll list the most essential items in the Dutch cuisine that you should try as an international student!
1. Bitterballen
For me, my love story started with the bitterbal. Bitterballen are a meat-based snack made by making ragout (a type of stew) thickened with roux and beef stock, and loading it with meat. This stew is refrigerated until firm, rolled into balls, and then breaded for frying.
Bitterballen are just so dang delicious to me. There’s just something about finishing your work at the end of the day, looking at your mates and saying, “I’m gonna get some bitterballen,” and trudging towards the Sports Canteen together for a plate of fried delicacy. The taste is even more pronounced with mustard, too – it’s the butter to the bitterbal’s bread.
2. Kroketten
Tasting nearly the same as bitterballen, kroketten contain the same ingredients as the aforementioned fried ball, and are in fact identical in every way except shape. Kroketten are larger, with their shapes teetering the line between cylindrical and rectangular-cubical. I prefer the bite-sized version, but you’ll pretty much be eating the same thing if you get a kroket. However, I’ve eaten some with vastly different (vegetarian) fillings, so your mileage may vary.
3. Friet/patat
Fries are universally loved among all cultures. There’s not much that hasn’t already been said, so just know that Dutch fries (called either friet or patat, depending on where in the Netherlands you live) are delicious and best served with mayonnaise, curry sauce, or peanut sauce. Ketchup is scarce here, though I think that’s for the best.
4. Kapsalon
The perfect student meal. You never make kapsalon yourself – you always buy it from fast food places. Once upon a time, a hairdresser from a hair salon (a kapsalon) ordered a dish with all the best ingredients from a Shawarma store, and in time, this dish became known as the ‘usual order for the kapsalon’. The rest is history, and the rest is delicious: a mix of fries, salad, and doner meat, baked with cheese.
5. Poffertjes
Poffertjes are a sort of mini-pancake made with yeast and buckwheat flour, and taste quite spongy. They are delicious, and you’ll be extremely popular with your friends if you own a poffertjes-maker. These can be eaten the traditional way with just butter and powdered sugar, or served with chocolate sauce, for example.
6. Pannenkoeken
Dutch pancakes are a lot thinner than your famous American pancakes, and are also eaten a lot more often outside of breakfast. Similar to the American ones, Dutch pancakes can be eaten with syrup and chocolate; however, meat and cheese on pancakes is also very common, which makes for a fulfilling meal. Want to make your own? Check Marit's recipe!
7. AVG (aardappels, vlees, groenten)
I’ve always wondered why potatoes (aardappelen) get their own letter in this dish – literally potatoes, meat, and vegetables – aren’t potatoes already vegetables? In any case, AVG is super easy to make, healthy, and doesn’t taste half bad. Just your typical weeknight dinner in your student house.
8. Stamppot
Stamppot is a comfort food for many people, though many other people find it unappetizing. Stamppot is a traditional dish made from a combination of mashed potatoes and other vegetables, garnished with sausages.
The stamppot I’ve tried has been mixed with kale and smoked sausage, and it is quite delicious. It’s definitely a full meal, as I had the delight of finding out when I realised that the small portion on my plate would fill me up completely after I had finished. Stamppot is best served piping hot, straight from the stove – definitely do not try microwave-ready stamppot from the grocery store. Those things are disgusting.
9. Stroopwafel
Stroopwafels are probably much, much larger than the Dutch cuisine in its entirety; their reach and popularity have become global. A good stroopwafel is a thin biscuit with two layers, held together by syrup or caramel. They are especially delicious when they are just off the press, and when the caramel is smoking-hot, and on some days of the week, you can find fresh stroopwafels on campus in front of the Bastille. Just be careful of any stroopwafel place that shows a bunch of oversaturated, colourful stroopwafels on its display stands: these are tourist traps.
10. Frikandel
Frikandellen and their pastry equivalent, the frikandelbroodje, are Dutch sausages. They are made of minced meat, bread crumbs, onions, and a variety of other spices, which makes this dish quite savoury. Like most Dutch snacks, frikandellen are deep-fried.
The fun thing about these sausages is that no one really knows what kind of meat they are. The Wikipedia page says veal, but people will report all kinds of meat, such as pork, chicken, and even horse. Rarely do I get cravings for these things, but it’s been known to happen.
11. Kibbeling
I don’t really like kibbeling – I think it’s a bit too much on the ‘fried’ side of fried food, because whenever I take a bite, I can just feel my throat filling with oil. Regardless, kibbeling is fried fish, typically cod or other white fish, and served with garlic sauce. You can find these on certain days on campus or on Saturdays at the Enschede market, when the fish truck comes around.
12. Snert
Officially termed erwtensoep, this dish has the extraordinary talent of sounding equally as unappetizing in both its names. Snert is a type of pea soup, made by creating a base of beef bouillon and peas, and is so thick in texture that it is more porridge than soup. It is also as unappetizing as it sounds – this dish is truly something else.
