I enjoyed myself pretty well, when I was back in the Netherlands!
My family, the nature, the harbor and something not to forget; the food.
People often say that the Dutchy's has no food culture at all.
Yes, somehow they're right, because it's quite difficult to find a good dish.
But, besides the fact that I was a little bit in a lack of time, I still managed to found some gifts from the Dutch cuisine.
One of the most famous dish is "stamppot".
My mother made a big pan of sauerkraut stamppot, it's my favorite!
Unfortunately, I was not able to take a photo.
Before I knew it, the pan was already empty....
Because you've already scrolled down a bit further, you can see me obviously enjoying some good food!
I'll tell you more about this photo at the end of this page.
Shall we first start with the herring?
Herring:
Yep, we're talking about a piece of traditional Dutch craft.
Herring is a pickled piece of fish and is served traditionally with onion and sour.
You can easily eat this with (fresh) white bread, but on the traditional way you need to hold the herring by the tail and finish the fish in two bites.
I bet many of you don't know why this is the most traditional way of eating it...
When you finish the fish, you will experience a much bigger taste sensation.
This is because the flavors and texture of the fish come out much more.
The history of herring in brief:
Did you know that herring has been boiled and pickled since 1415?
The origin of herring was mainly to provide sailors with food during a long journey on the sea. Back then, you could store the fish for a maximum of 5 to 6 months, this was an excellent solution.
I bought this at a fishstand in IJmuiden for 2,50 EUR.
Gretel:
A gretel. Well, this flatfish wasn't so small.
With my stomach held in and one meter away from the table, I was finally able to take a good photo.
Just like all the other food that ended up in my stomach, I really enjoyed this one!
The gretel is a fast growing flatfish.
An average gretel can grow up to 75cm!
The creamy fish fried in butter with a crispy coating is highly recommended for the real lovers of fish.
I ate this dish at Vishandel & Restaurant Gerard van Es for 25 EUR.
Pita-bread & shawarma with cheese:
It may seem strange in your eyes that I put this dish on this page.
Please, give me the opportunity to explane you this; shawarma with cheese is something typical Dutch.
All the ingredients (except the cheese) on the table are not from Holland.
It's more about the way how it is served, you won't find that abroad.
I do remember when I was searching for this dish, once in Turkey.
Believe me, you won't find this in the most locally traditional restaurants!
For the people who don't know what you see on the picture;
- Salad - Garlic sauce
- Shawarma - Cocktail sauce
- Cheese - Onion sauce
- Pita bread - Green sambal
- French fries
You can eat this dish with a knife and fork, but most people eat it without.
And do you know why? Because this is one of the dishes what makes it fingerlicking good!
I ate this dish at Amon-Ra for 20 EUR.
