Dutch Quisine

While many (European) countries have their own delicious specialities when it comes to traditional cooking and dining, the Netherlands are somewhat exceptional. The Germans have their Schnitzels and sausages, the Belgians have their fries and waffles, the Greeks have their souflaki, the Spanish their paëlla, the Italians their pizza and pasta, the Hungarians their gulash, the French have about everything and my guess is the other European countries also have their own tasty meals. The Dutch however don't really have anything comparable. When we go out to dinner in the Netherlands, we choose between Chinese, Italian, Greek or Turkish restaurants. If we have more to spend we might go to some fancy place where they serve the French stuff. When we have even more to spend we go to some weird designer place that has stuff on the menu that we don't even know what it is, unless you are a specialist yourself.

Carrot Mash Pot

The only real Dutch speciality where we actually sit down for to eat it is stamppot (mash pot). We cook potatoes and vegetables and mash them together so it becomes an easy to swallow mush. We put gravy on it so it goes down even faster, and that's it. It is tasty, it really is. But no one goes to a restaurant for this. That is why there are no Dutch Cuisine restaurants around. Another thing that we like to eat, and have done so for many years, is fries. Not fries with a burger or anything, just fries. Covered in a lot of mayonnaise. We eat them from a little plastic tray with a little plastic fork that breaks on the fries that are a fried a little too long. But, eating fries is not really Dutch, since it is the Belgian national dish. The Belgians don't eat it from a tray though, they eat it from a pointy paper bag. The tray was our idea, and a good one too, since it prevents your fingers getting all covered in the mayo when you try to reach for the ones in the bottom of the bag.

Fries with mayonnaise, a romantic dinner for two

Like in many places in the world American fast food like MacDonalds and Burger King is becoming more and more popular in the Netherlands. A lot of people might think that fast food is an imported concept, but that is not true at all. In fact, the Dutch could be considered the founders of fast food. The best known and most popular dutch eating habits is way faster than a burger. Our fast food doesn't even demand you to sit down for it. We eat it while walking, or standing next to a garbage can ready to throw our napkin in as soon as we are finished. A great example is the Dutch tradition of a "croquette from the wall". This tradition goes back to the beginning of the 20th century and is still very popular today. You go to a wall where fried croquettes are kept warm, you throw in a euro and you open one of the little doors and get your meal. Dining this way doesn't cost you more than three minutes, and you can do it while walking to catch a bus or a train. Another great thing about these croquettes from the wall is that it also can be used for hilarious jokes. Before closing the little door after you got your croquette, you can put something back instead. Like someone's plastic teeth. The next visitors will have a good laugh when they see them behind the little door for sale for just one euro.

Croquettes from the wall

This superior efficiency brings us to our most famous national dish. While the Americans put so much effort in designing their fast food restaurants to be as efficient as they can be, with pre-made burger meat and pre-cut fries, drive-throughs and garbage cans that you can throw stuff in from you car window, the Dutch have already reached ultimate perfection many centuries ago: Eating a herring. You just go to the nearest herring cart, say whether you want onions on it or not, hold it by the tail and eat it. You don't have to wait until its cooked, we eat our herring raw. And it's not only tasty but healthy as well!

Best meal of the world, a nice fresh herring