The city’s cuisine is heavily influenced by its colonial past, so don’t be too surprised to find that the Dutch love dishes from Indonesia, Suriname and the Antilles, so much so that they often cook them at home. In Amsterdam, you’ll find plenty of restaurants that serve specialties from these countries.
Traditional Dutch cooking, meanwhile, consists of hearty meat and fish dishes served with potatoes and salad, with soup usually served as a first course.
Starters are not part of the Dutch tradition, but in restaurants you’ll be brought bread and delicious butter to eat while you’re waiting for your meal.
Some of the more common soups are Erwtensoep, or Snert, made with peas, and Bruine Bonensoep, made with dark beans; ham and sausage are added to both. Another one you might like to try is Humkessoep, made with potatoes, green beans and butter beans.
Main courses include Hutspot, made with mashed carrots and potatoes and served with braised beef known as Klapstuk; Stamppot, made with mashed potatoes and vegetables and accompanied by meatballs, or a smoked sausage called Rookworst.
Sausages are very popular. You can try the very spicy Frikandel, prepared with the leftover parts of the pig, or the pork liver sausage Leverworst, which comes in both a hard or softer, spreadable version.
Also delicious are the deep-fried, breaded croquettes filled with a thick cream and beef, called Bitterballen or Kroket, depending on whether they are small and round or large and long.
If you prefer fish, I suggest you try the fillet of cod or other white fish, fried in batter and known as Lekkerbekje, if the fillets are left whole, or Kibbeling, if they are cut into pieces.
The most common fish on menus is herring, especially pickled, known as Hollandse nieuwe, or smoked. You can also try smoked mackerel or eel, which are equally delicious.
Also very common are Mosselen, steamed mussels with vegetables, and Hollandse garnaal, small shelled prawns.
And, finally…don’t forget to sample the famous Dutch cheeses!
An interesting fact: Kroket is so popular here that in every McDonald's you’ll find a McKroket sandwich as an alternative to the burgers.
What else can I say but…Enjoy!
