National cuisine of the Netherlands

At a superficial glance, Dutch cuisine seems to be the worst nightmare of our caring grandmothers. Soups and hot dishes are on the table at best in the evening, and for the most part, the Dutch eat dry food and still feel great.

What are the favorite dishes in the Netherlands?

Sandwiches, fish, and French fries are staples of the daily diet. A typical local breakfast is a salty herring eaten on the go or in a sandwich with a white bun. Starting in June, tents appear on the streets of towns selling cleaned herring, fully ready to eat. All you have to do is grab the fish by the tail, tilt its head back, and pop the trophy into your mouth.

The uitsmijter, a ham, cheese, and glazed toast, is also often asked for in the trays. For dessert, it's common to order the famous Dutch waffles in syrup or chocolate, poffertjes doughnuts, or a slice of rice cake. A street snack is dense and inexpensive, usually costing just 5-6 EUR.

Lunchtime is around five o'clock. At this time, the Netherlands' signature fish and meat dishes begin to be served in nutritious traditional restaurants, making you feel warm and cozy.

National dishes of the Netherlands, must-try

• Erten soup is a thick, rich chowder made from split peas and flavored with smoked sausage or ham.
• Consomme pot-a-feu - a light, clear broth with lean ham and firm, lightly touched carrots.
• Hachee - thinly sliced cooked beef garnished with mashed potatoes seasoned with braised carrots and fried onions.
• Stampot - hot vegetable puree of boiled potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage with smoked sausage or meatballs bitterballen with mushrooms.
• Rijsttafel - rice fried to a golden crust with stewed vegetables and finely chopped slices of beef or pork.
• Brugse Zot - baked in oil balls of dough with a variety of fillings, from cheese to natural crab meat.

The range of hot drinks in the Netherlands is not limited to the famous Heineken beer, for which Amsterdam has set up a funny museum. Juniper vodka Jenever is considered by the world to be the ancestor of English gin. Too bitter? Then sweeten your life with a shot of the famous Dutch liqueur Orange Bitter or Advocaat. From soft drinks, you will be offered very decent coffee, hot chocolate, milk with aniseed, or heated lemonade, which is called quast here. Coffee breaks are announced twice - at 10:00-11:00 and at 19:00-20:00.

Not only the easily digestible calories and high-quality natural products, but also the underlinedly democratic prices are in favor of traditional Dutch cuisine. The average check in a tidy, respectable cafe usually does not exceed 15-25 EUR.

Dinner in a restaurant is more expensive: from 30-50 EUR in a medium-sized establishment to 70-80 EUR in a fashionable temple of gastronomic art. Not surprisingly, Amsterdam's trendy restaurants and cafés focus on European fare, while provincial and budget establishments rely on time-honored national dishes.