Dutchness – Page 3 – Connections

What’s inside: Kroket

A kroket (or kroketten if you are eating 2 or more) is a popular and typical Dutch fast-food dish.

A traditional kroket is made from a meat ragout covered in breadcrumbs and then deep fried. The kroket became popular after World War II, when several suppliers started mass-producing the fast food snack. It was a cheap dish with its contents of dubious quality meat filling.

Research carried out by Motivaction in 2008 showed that 350 million kroketten are eaten every year in the Netherlands.

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What’s inside: Frikandel

A frikandel (or frikandellen if you are eating 2 or more) is one of the most popular and typical Dutch fast-food dishes, closely followed by the kroket (what’s that? Check back next month).

It is a sort of minced-meat hot dog, first eaten in 1959 in either the Netherlands or Belgium; no one is really sure. It is typically deep fried and eaten on its own, on a bread roll (called a ‘broodje frikandel’) or with mayonnaise, curry ketchup and diced onions (called a ‘frikandel speciaal’).

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Dutch Golden Age

The Dutch Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17^th century, in which Dutch trade, science, art and military were amongst the most acclaimed in the world.

The first half of the 17^th century was taken up by the Eighty Years’ War (the Dutch war of independence from Spain). After winning their independence, the united Dutch Republic ran the country in peace for the last half of the 17^th century.

It was during this time that Dutch explorers travelled the seas, trade by the Dutch East India Company flourished and the Dutch Old Masters began to prevail in the art world by creating realistic portraits.

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Dutch Snackbar: Whats on the menu?

When life gets super busy and I just don’t have the time to cook something, or it’s a time to spoil ourselves because of a birthday or celebration, we turn to the trusty Dutch snackbar.

Coming from the UK, I found the Dutch snackbar sort of like your typical UK fish and chips stand, but also completely different. The types of chips served, and all the accompanying dishes are not something I had ever seen before, and it has been an adventure trying some of the different items.

So, if you have ever walked into a Dutch snackbar and thought ‘what on earth should I order?’, or if you normally play it safe but are curious about some of the other items on the menu, here is a breakdown of some of the most popular ‘delicacies’ and what they are.

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Recycling & Donating

Maybe you are moving, maybe the kids have reached a new phase in their lives, maybe you are just having a good old clear-out. But what to do with your “stuff”?

In other articles/blogs we have described trash collection and recycling for general waste, paper & cardboard, compostable material, plastic, chemical waste and the annual Christmas trees. These items are collected or at least organized by your Gemeente. You can contact them to find out about collection dates in your street.

This article focusses more on what you can do with your clothes and household goods.

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Transporting Kids Dutch Style

To truly settle into the Dutch lifestyle you need to own a bicycle. When I moved from the UK to the Netherlands I bought myself a second hand bike within a week and have not been without one since. I use it for getting around the city, daily errands, leisurely outings, even moving house (with a rented bakfiets). So last year when I had my baby girl I was faced with a dilemma: how can I continue using my bicycle while transporting a baby?

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Open Torendag

The Martini Tower on the Grote Markt in Groningen will be open the coming Saturday (10^th June 2017) to the public for free. At 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 you can join an excursion to climb up the tower to the bells.

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Dutch Cheese

You know you are properly integrated when you pronounce it Ghowda and not Goodah. Yes! It’s time to expand your horizons beyond Gouda cheese. The Netherlands has many more types of cheese to offer.

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The Dutch Royal House

The Dutch Royal House is the House of Oranje-Nassau, which dates back to Willem van Oranje.

In the 16^th century, Emperor Charles V assigned Willem of Nassau the post of stadtholder (steward in English) of the provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel. Willem later inherited the title of Oranje from a cousin.

In the 17^th century, Willem III was Stadtholder, and was also crowned King of England in 1689. Willem III died without children, bringing an end to that line of stadholdership.

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Books 4 Life Groningen

Books 4 Life store is now open in Winkelcentrum Paddepoel!

Books 4 Life is a used bookstore in Groningen, raising money for Amnesty International, Oxfam and other small-scale goodwill projects. All their books are donated, and the store is entirely run by volunteers, so they are able to donate a large part of their turnover to charity.

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