Foods of the Netherlands may not be as well-known as French or Chinese cuisines but there are many Dutch delights which must be tried at least once. Here’s a list of 10 foods you should be sure to sample!

Poffertjes: they are small, fluffy pancakes made with yeast and buckwheat flour. These tasty treats are prepared using a special pan with several shallow indentations in the bottom to hold the batter and make perfectly puffed small pancakes. Poffertjes are typically served topped with powdered sugar and butter.

 

 

Bitterballen: are deep-fried snacks that are ubiquitous in cafes and bars all over the Netherlands. These savory orbs are battered in a crunchy breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey mixture of chopped beef, beef broth, flour, butter, herbs and spices. They are typically served with mustard for dipping. If you’ve never tasted bitterballen before, order them at a cafe as the perfect accompaniment to a round of beers

 


Stroopwafels
: A delicious chewy cookie, the stroopwafel (syrup waffle) This sweet snack is a waffle cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the middle. Stroopwafels are particularly good with a cup of coffee or tea

 

 


Oliebollen: are a Dutch treat traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve and at festivals and markets during the winter season.
The deep friend balls of dough are similar in taste and texture to a cake doughnut, often with the addition of raisins or currants in the batter. Oliebollen are usually served hot with powdered sugar on top.

 

 

Hollandse nieuwe haring: a very traditional food in the Netherlands, Hollandse nieuwe haring should be tried at least once. The raw herring fish is typically served with chopped onions, and can be eaten with or without bread. Herring should only be called Hollandse nieuwe if caught between May and July. The fish should also be prepared according to the Dutch tradition where the freshly caught fish are gutted onboard the fishing boats, leaving the pancreas in the fish.

 

Chocolat letters: the chocoladeletter is a Dutch candy made ​​of chocolate in the form of a letter. It is a fun delicacy that is most often sold around the time of Sinterklaas celebrations in the Netherlands ( december ). The tasty treats may be given as gifts to friends, family or employees or left as a surprise in your shoe by Sint Nicolaas during the night of Sinterklaas.

 

Patat: A tasty but questionable Dutch culinary contribution is patat, the Dutch word for frites, chips or french fries. Dutchies love their patat with copious amounts of mayonnaise and often supplement this popular treat with another fried snack on the side if you can believe it. This side dish may be frikandel or kroket, both deep-fried meaty snacks. These unfading favorites may be purchased at snack bars all over Amsterdam, including the famous Febo. A curious element of many Dutch snack bars like FEBO is the snackmuur or automat; a wall filled with little coin-operated hatches from which pre-made snacks are served. Drop in your one or two Euro coin and open the little door to remove your frikandel, chicken sandwich or other delicious “food”.

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