The Netherlands is the home of delicious cheese varieties

Dutch cuisine has many peculiar characteristics and in addition to Dutch flavours, the cuisines of several countries are present in the country, with Indonesia having an especially strong presence, thanks to the country’s colonial past. Dutch dairy products – cheese, butter, condensed milk, chocolate – are of world-class quality. The Netherlands has been making cheese for centuries, the most famous types include Mariolles, Gouda, Edam, Maasadam, Leerdam and Amsterdam.

Traditional Dutch dishes contain lots of protein. Seafood is popular, but beef and chicken are also often served. The main side dishes are potatoes and boiled vegetables. The Dutch don’t use strong spices, they like to eat their dishes with lots of sauce or some kind of gravy instead. Sweets are consumed widely, from donuts to pancakes to chocolate and marzipan. Vla is also worth trying: it is a thick, sweet cream pudding made mostly from milk, in many flavours, e.g. chocolate, vanilla, strawberry.

The Dutch start the day with a cup of coffee or tea, and have a sandwich or salty baked goods for breakfast. For lunch they like to eat soup, among which we find cream soups and purées as well. The main course is very often some kind of fish dish. National specialties include beef dish ‘hotspot’ and ‘bitterballen’, which is basically the Dutch version of meatballs.

Coffee, tea and beer are the most popular drinks. Famous beers include Amstel, Grolsch and Heineken. The Netherlands not only has old brewing traditions but is also a great distiller. Korenwíjn is the country’s famous grain brandy, while the Dutch gin is called Jenever – it is consumed as an aperitif or mixed with beer. //