04.09.2002 - Just returned from my holidays in Scotland with Ciaoer Mike (Aspen). A handful of trave...
04.09.2002 - Just returned from my holidays in Scotland with Ciaoer Mike (Aspen). A handful of travel ops are in preparation. See ya soon.
Member since:17.02.2001
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The Netherlands are not really famous for good food (rightly so), but I have lived and dined there for several years, and survived. Lacking a typical Dutch cuisine, Holland is full of international restaurants. But it does have some things going for it: Dutch chips are legendary, and in some parts of the country you can even find gourmet restaurants. Here comes my culinary guide to Holland.
Let's start with the most essential: Alcohol (the other Dutch essential follows at the end of this article). Holland has come up with some very famous and not so famous beers and is home to a spirit which most British think was their invention.
BEER: Heineken and Amstel are often perceived as competitors, but Amstel is actually a brand of Heineken Corp., as is Murphy's Irish Stout. Although Heineken and Amstel are among the world's most famous lagers and available in any tourist destination on the globe, I have my problems with them as a German, because they are both not brewed to the German purity accord of 1565. Many other Dutch beers do obey this set of rules such as Grolsch Pilsener. Dark and bock beers are popular in Holland, too, but to sweet for my taste. Amstel's website www.amstel.com is worth having a look at.
JENEVER: Who would have thought that the Queen mum's Gin originated from Holland. Jenever, as it is called here, was invented by a pharmacist in the city of Leiden in the 17th century and still is a national tradition. In Holland this juniper spirit comes in three kinds: Jonge Jenever (young & mild), Oude Jenever (matured for two years like British Gin),
and Bessen Jenever (with berries, sweet).
----------------------------- MORE THAN JUST GOUDA -----------------------------
The Netherlands have a longstanding tradition of cheese ("Kaas") manufacture - first mentioned in the 11th century. The most famous and popular Dutch cheese is the Gouda, which is available in four stages of ageing: jong, belegen, extra belegen, and oud - ranging from two to ten months of maturity.
Among the many other kinds of Dutch cheese to be tried are Edamer, Leerdamer, Maasdamer, Boeren Leidse and Friese Nagelkaas, as well as the cream cheeses Roomkaas and Smeltkaas. The most original cheese is the Boerenkaas which is produced by farmers according to traditional recipes.
--------------------------------------------------- WHAT TO ORDER IN A FRITURE (SNACK BAR) ---------------------------------------------------
Dutch and Belgian snack bars / Fritures are legendary, because they serve the best French fries (chips) world-wide. The Dutch "Friet" or "Fritje" are thick and oily, yet much more crispy than their British equivalents. But what to order with your chips? In the times of BSE and foot and mouth disease, meat doesn't seem a good option. Then again, Holland is mostly BSE free, and F&M will one day be a thing of the past (hopefully). Safe this article for better times, and try the typical Dutch snacks then. The worse they sound, the better they taste. Sauces are mostly limited to mayonnaise and curry ketchup, but these taste much better in Holland than anywhere else in the world.
FRIKANDEL SPECIAAL: This is a meat roll of undefined origin, with a bit of everything (beef, pork, chicken, horse). The "Special" dressing is a must: mayonnaise, curry ketchup and fresh onions.
SPOETNIK: A large meatball from the same material as the Frikandel, the Spoetnik is cut into thick round slices. Slices of onion are inserted in between and the whole thing is arranged on a stick to look like an old Russian satellite (hence the name), and fried. Served with curry ketchup.
FLEESKROCKET: Maybe THE most famous Dutch snack. A fried role filled with a creamy substance from mashed meat. Don't ask, try it.
ZUURFLEES: Translating as sour meat, this is originally a German meal. Traditionally made from horse meat, it is nowadays mostly done with beef. Whereas in Germany it is served in slices of roast meat, the Dutch have turned it into a sauce of meat strings, a very popular and tasty dressing for chips.
SHOARMA: This is the equivalent of the Kebab which is on offer on British high streets. The Shoarma bars are mostly run by Holland's large community of Moroccan immigrants. Unlike Kebab, Shoarma is made of beef and served in smaller pieces, but the process is much the same.
-------------------------------------------------------- SEAFOOD: OYSTERS, MUSSELS & WHITE HERRING --------------------------------------------------------
Although half surrounded by water, the Netherlands don't really have a tradition for seafood. No grilled Sole here, no cooked Loup de Mer, no fried Plaice, although the North Sea is full of them all. What they do serve, though, are mussels, oysters and white herring (Matjes) - probably because they are easy to prepare.
Mussels and oysters are cultivated in the Oosterschelde, the bay between the Walcheren peninsula and the islands of Beveland, and Schouwen Duiveland which is protected by the huge Delta Project dam. Like oysters, mussels can be eaten raw in Holland, if fresh from the sea. The most common serving for cooked mussels is with onion rings and celery, real gourmets cook them in wine or champagne.
The Dutch also cultivate Lobsters in the Oosterschelde, but don't know what to do with them and export them to Belgium, France or Germany. What a waste!
----------------------------------------------------- DINING IN OLD DUTCH CASTLES -----------------------------------------------------
The gourmet centre of the Netherlands is the southernmost Province of Limburg, which borders to Belgium in the west and south, and to Germany in the east. Limburg has probably the highest density of top-class luxury restaurants and château hotels of any rural region world-wide. The Michelin Red Guide and the Gault Millau are full of recommendations of Limburg restaurants, and many of them have gained stars. Yet none of them serve traditional Dutch food, because that is not regarded to be gourmet food.
Among these outstanding restaurants and château hotels are Château Neercanne, Winseler Hof, Kasteel Hoensbroek, Kasteel Wittem and Kasteel Elsloo. I have dined at the restaurant which is widely considered to be Holland's very best: Kasteel Erenstein, operated by the luxury group Camille Oostwegel Château Hotels & Restaurants, and indeed so good that it deserves a dedicated description.
Restaurant Kasteel Erenstein & Hotel Brughof Oud Erensteinerweg 6, 6468 PC Kerkrade, Phone (45) 546 13 33 www.erenstein.com
We have celebrated my brother's wedding and my father's 50th birthday here, and both times it was an outstanding culinary enjoyment. The Kasteel Erenstein serves French specialities in extremely small Nouvelle Cuisine portions. Fantastic collection of Grand Cru and château wines (how fitting) from Bordeaux, Alsace, Burgundy and Provence regions. The ambience is very noble and luxurious, and so are the prices. Calculate at least 60 £ for a four course dinner, not including wine.
Rooms at the Erenstein's hotel, the Brughof, are available from 75 £ (single) and 95 £ (double) on special offers. The venue is perfectly suited for conferences and festivities.
------------------------------------------ KOFFIE IS KLAAR! (COFFEE IS READY) ------------------------------------------
Koffie met Gebak (coffee and cake) is obligatory on Sunday afternoons. The speciality is Limburgse Vlaai, a round cake made with apricots, cherries, plums or rice. In northern Holland, however, you are more likely to get served an apple cake with whipped cream.
Due to its colonial history, Holland is a large importer of coffee from Indonesia and Java. I have found Dutch coffee brands to be among the best in taste in all of Europe. It is however advisable to buy the coffee fresh and brew it yourself, as the coffee served in Dutch cafés is usually much to light for real coffee lovers.
---------------------------------------- THE OTHER KIND OF COFFEESHOPS ----------------------------------------
Coffee and cake is also available in the famous Coffeeshops, however the cake here is not with plums or apples, but with hash and marijuana: Spacecake. Unlike the usual perception abroad, the sale, purchase or possession of so called soft drugs is NOT legal in Holland, but up to 5 grams for personal use are tolerated (not allowed) according to the new Dutch drugs law from 1995.
The 1,500 Dutch coffeeshops (300 of them in Amsterdam alone) are quite an attraction. They will show you a menu with around 20 kinds of dope and grass, with samples. Among the most popular are Green Afghan (rather mild) and Moroccan (stronger). Coffeeshops generally don't serve alcohol.
Mind you that tolerance is NOT practised on exports of soft drugs. Even the smallest amounts found on tourists embarking at Dutch airports, harbours and train stations are confiscated and may result in punishments of up to 5,000 NLG (1,500 £) or one month in prison.
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Advantages: Only an hour from London, Cheap deals available, Lots to do no matter what your tastes Disadvantages: Too much to do within a couple of days! Expensive alcohol
Mar 31st, 2001
(Apr 1st, 2001)
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