-= Favorite Dutch Food =-

[- Carla -]

Now that this section of the Forums also includes the Benelux region (Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg), I thought it would be nice to introduce some Dutch favorites to the forum.

What are your favorite Dutch recipes and why? Does it remind you of something from home? Something you once ate while on holiday?

Mine are Bitterballen - I love cycling to this little cafe in the middle of the woods, ordering a beer and a nice pile of bitterballen - delicious and a geat way to spend a sunny afternoon - Stroopwafels - over dosed on these the first two years I lived here.. I have friends in America who have fallen so much in love with them they order them by the case over the internet! - Nasi Goreng - Sounds strange but it is very typical in Holland and of course Erwtensoep - how can you live in Holland and not love pea soup

What are yours?

[PanNan]

Oh, where do I begin.... there are so many things I miss that seem like favorites now because I can't get them here in the states.

I miss gevulde koek that we used to serve with coffee - sort of a cross between a cookie and a cake with almond paste in the center and an almond on top. YUM.

Also, ontbijt koek - similar in shape to a pound cake, but dark and spice flavored, also served with morning coffee.

Nasi goreng was already mentioned, I also miss good bahmi goreng from the Indonesian restaurants. Mine is not quite the same. In fact, I miss going for the whole "rijst tafel".

I miss vla poured right from the bottle for just a little something sweet after dinner. (like custard)

I also miss bitterballen and kroketten and patat met mayonnaise from the vendors - again, mine just don't taste the same. (Meat croquettes and french fries with mayonnaise)

In my part of the world, I can't get chanterelles mushrooms. We used to pick them, and then saute them with tomatoes and have on bread, like a sandwich. Yummy!

There's so many more....

[-Sylvie-]

Sorry my spelling is probably all wrong, but there is nothing better than kibbeling med knoflooksaus eaten 'on the hand' at a Dutch weekly market.

[PanNan]

Sylvie, I remember going to the market, and my Dad would buy raw herring and just drop it whole in his mouth, and it would just slide down. He said it was the best thing in the world. I said it was the grossest thing in the world. To this day I won't eat herring (prepared in any style)!

[-Sylvie-]

Sorry, but I'm with your husband!

Don't know if it's the best thing in the world, but it's definitely something good!

[Irmgard]

When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

[- Carla -]

Irmgard wrote:
When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

Sounds like suikerbrood... Did the white bread you speak of have a sweet sort of crunchy topping?

[Irmgard]

- Carla - wrote:

Irmgard wrote:
When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

Sounds like suikerbrood... Did the white bread you speak of have a sweet sort of crunchy topping?

It was crunchy but I don't recall it being sweet.

[_roberto_]

Irmgard wrote:
When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

I think we call that "Tijgerbrood". ("Tigerbread")
It is made by covering a loaf of unbaked dough lightly with a sort of fluidy dough (like for crèpes but with rice meal instead of wheat), and when the dough rises in the oven, the additional dough thoughens to a crunchy cover faster and will break up in to little speckles when the breaad expands.
http://images.google.nl/images?q=tijgerbrood&hl=nl&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi
Is that the kind you mean?

[_roberto_]

Also good:
Limburgse vlaai - sort of a cake with a topping of mostly fruit but also pudding.
Pannenkoeken - like crèpes but a lot thicker and bigger. Filled with al sorts of ingredients sweet or hearthy.

[Irmgard]

_roberto_ wrote:

Irmgard wrote:
When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

I think we call that "Tijgerbrood". ("Tigerbread")
It is made by covering a loaf of unbaked dough lightly with a sort of fluidy dough (like for crèpes but with rice meal instead of wheat), and when the dough rises in the oven, the additional dough thoughens to a crunchy cover faster and will break up in to little speckles when the breaad expands.
http://images.google.nl/images?q=tijgerbrood&hl=nl&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi
Is that the kind you mean?

Yes, I really liked that bread. So it's called Tiger Bread, eh? What an appropriate food for a cat lover!

[PanNan]

- Carla - wrote:

Irmgard wrote:
When DH and I visited Holland in 1979, we had for breakfast some really delicious white bread with a crunchy topping. It was like a streusel but not sweet. For a while, Dominion here in Canada sold a similar bread out of their bakeries, but I guess there wasn't enough interest because they quit making it. I absolutely love pickled herring - I could eat an entire jar at once! Luckily that is something that is available in just about every supermarket here!

Sounds like suikerbrood... Did the white bread you speak of have a sweet sort of crunchy topping?

My sister (and mother) live in Friesland, and they buy suikerbrood (sukkerbolle) sometimes for my nieces and nephew. It's very sweet, and has the sugar coating rolled througout the bread, not just on top. It's almost dessert like - so good. They just serve it with butter.

[_roberto_]

OH yes the Friezen have that down to an art.
You can only get decent suikerbrood from there.
Forget buying it in any other part of the country

[txzuckerbaeckerin]

Vla, matjes, nasi goreng, sate, pofferjets, the icrecream sauce, that is like chocolate caramel with a hint of coffee taste.. and the sweet dark breakfast bread, that has spices in it, almost like ginger gread...oh man, do I miss ALL of this..AND THE POMMES WITH MAJO!!!!!!!

[-Sylvie-]

Oh, I nearly forgot abou Vla, vanilla or chocolate flavours are my favourite!