+31 (0)50 367 71 97 
info@connect-int.org
In our new house, we found a large patch of rhubarb growing down the bottom of the garden. Having no ideas or keen taste for rhubarb I took to the expat foodie group on Facebook to ask for some advice. Catriona shared the idea to make rhubarb and blackberry crumble, as the blackberries help bring a sweetness to the sour rhubarb, and indeed it is a wonderful combination! Continue reading “A Twist on Rhubarb Crumble”
One part of the quirky Dutch culture that always amuses me is how they love their chocolate sprinkles, or as they call them: Hagelslag.
When you think about typical Dutch foods, stamppot, cheese and frikandel probably spring to mind. But there are also a few foods that are strictly Dutch, falling under the European Union PDO, PGI and TSG schemes that protect the reputation of regional foods.
The European Union quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs first came into force in 1992. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of regional foods, help ensure producers receive a fair price for their authentic products, and stop the misleading of consumers by non-genuine products being sold under the same name. These laws protect the names of wines, cheeses, hams, sausages, seafood, olives, olive oils, beers, balsamic vinegar, regional breads, fruits, raw meats and vegetables.
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.
Continue reading “What’s inside: Kroket”
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’).
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.
This is my favourite rhubarb recipe, and everyone who tried it loved the mixture of sour rhubarb and the sweet crust.
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.
I have a good friend from the UK who often comes to visit me here in the Netherlands. It is always a blast when she visits, we go shopping, enjoy a good catch-up and have a generally ‘gezellig’ time. The only challenge is feeding her!
My friend is vegetarian, which is no problem, plenty of recipes and places to eat that can cater for that, but she is also gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant. Those three factors combined makes finding somewhere to eat out in the town where I live impossible. Cooking food at home was a little tricky at the start, but now I know my way around the ‘free from’ aisles at the supermarket, it isn’t a problem.
