舌尖上的荷蘭

Foods of the Netherlands may not be as well—known as French or Chinese cuisines but there are many Dutch delights which must be tried at least once. Heres a list of Dutch foods you should be sure to sample.

Poffertjes

Poffertjes are small， fluffy pancakes made with yeast1 and buckwheat2 flour. These tasty treats are prepared using a special pan with several shallow indentations3 in the bottom to hold the batter4 and make perfectly puffed small pancakes. Poffertjes are typically served topped with powdered sugar and butter.

Poffertjes are traditionally consumed in fall and winter when stands selling the delicious snack can be found at outdoor markets and on many street corners. They are usually served on a little paper plate with a tiny fork for smearing5 the butter and stabbing the cakes to ferry into your mouth. The wind blowing the powdered sugar around covering your face and clothing in white dust is part of the fun！

Bitterballen

Bitterballen are deep—fried6 snacks that are ubiquitous in cafes and bars all over the Netherlands. These savory orbs are battered in a crunchy7 breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey8 mixture of chopped beef， beef broth， flour， butter， herbs and spices. They are typically served with mustard9 for dipping.

If youve never tasted bitterballen before， order them at a cafe as the perfect accompaniment to a round of beers. But be careful when you bite through the crunchy crust. The meaty ragout filling is often burning hot！

Stroopwafels

A delicious chewy cookie， the stroopwafel was first made in the town of Gouda in the Netherlands during the 18th century. In fact， until 1870 stroopwafels were made only in Gouda and there were about 100 bakeries selling these treats in that city alone.

This sweet snack is a waffle10 cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the middle. They can be purchased in packages at nearly every grocery store and bakery in the Netherlands， as well as freshly made at street stands at markets and festivals.

Stroopwafels are particularly good with a cup of coffee or tea. The cookies come in various sizes， but the most common diameter fits perfectly as a lid on a cup of hot liquid. This softens the cookie and melts the sweet syrup， making a delightful dessert or snack.

Koffie Verkeerd

Visit any cafe or restaurant in the Netherlands and you are sure to notice someone ordering a koffie verkeerd. This is the Dutch version of a caffè latte11 or café au lait12. It is traditionally a hot cup of coffee with a lot of warm milk， but is most commonly served as an espresso13 with a lot of steamed milk and some froth.

Koffie verkeerd means “wrong coffee，” because normal coffee would contain a dash of milk instead of the almost 50/50 ratio.

If you like milk in your coffee， order a koffie verkeerd with your breakfast or as an afternoon treat. Many people add a cube of sugar to their koffie verkeerd and stir it up with a little spoon. The Dutch almost always serve a little cookie with your coffee， which is a charming addition to this milky caffeinated delight.

Hollandse Nieuwe Haring

A very traditional food in the Netherlands， Hollandse nieuwe haring should be tried at least once. The raw herring fish is typically served with chopped onions， and can be eaten with or without bread.

Herring should only be called Hollandse nieuwe if caught between May and July. The fish should also be prepared according to the Dutch tradition where the freshly caught fish are gutted onboard the fishing boats， leaving the pancreas14 in the fish. The pancreatic enzymes perform much of the preservation of the haring， so that the brine15 they are kept in needs less salt.

Dutch herring are traditionally eaten by holding the fish by the tail and dunking it into your mouth with your head thrown back. If that doesnt seem appealing， haring can also be eaten in bite size pieces or on a sandwich called broodje haring.

Limburgse Vlaai

A delicious pie with a tasty light crust， Limburgse vlaai is often filled with fruits like cherries or apricots16. This type of pie is originally from the Limburg area in the south of the Netherlands， and is said to have been created in the town of Weert by a woman named Maria Hubertina Hendrix who sold her pies at the train station.

Vlaai differs from other pie recipes in a few ways. The batter is lighter than traditional pie crust， a bit more like a cake than a pie dough. Also， the pie itself is flatter and thinner than many American styles of pie.

Several varieties of vlaai can be found throughout the Netherlands. The most common have fruit fillings like cherries， apricots， plums， and apples. There is also a version called greumellevlaai that is filled with a buttery crumble mix and a rice pudding recipe called rijstevlaai.

Stamppot

Traditionally served during winter， stamppot might just be the epitome of Dutch cuisine. Hearty， nutritious， and tasty but not exactly what one would call haute17 cuisine.

This dish consists of mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables like kale18 or carrots19 and is traditionally served with rookworst （smoked sausage）. Want to eat stamppot like a real Dutchman？ Dig a little “pond” in your stamppot for the gravy！

Stamppot boerenkool （kale） is arguably the most popular version of this filling meal. Other types of stamppot are stamppot rauwe andijvie （raw endive20）， hutspot （onions and carrots） and zuurkool （sauerkraut21）.

Patat

A tasty but questionable Dutch culinary contribution is patat （frites）. These thick and crispy fries are said to have been invented in the northern part of Belgium， and are thus often called Vlaamse22 friet. Dutchies love their patat with copious amounts of mayonnaise23 and often supplement this popular treat with another fried snack on the side if you can believe it. This side dish may be frikandel or kroket， both deep—fried meaty snacks.

The Dutch enjoy their patat with mayonnaise and also with a combination of unique toppings. Try patatje oorlog， a conglomeration of peanut saté sauce， mayo and onions that might give your stomach a lesson about the meaning of the name （oorlog means war）. Or try the patat speciaal which includes curry ketchup， mayonnaise and onion. For the ultimate healthy meal， try the frikandel speciaal with curry ketchup， mayo and onions slathered24 on a frikandel sausage， and order a side25 of patat to dip in the leftover sauce.

荷蘭的食物可能不像法國或中國菜那樣聞名于世，但有許多獨富荷蘭風味的美食絕對值得一試。下面我們就來歷數(shù)一些荷蘭不可不嘗的美味。

荷式烤餅

荷式烤餅是一種小而松軟的煎餅，用蕎麥面和酵母制作而成。烙制這些可口的小甜點需要使用底部有若干淺凹槽的專用平底鍋來盛面糊，這可以使做成的小餅蓬松得恰到好處。吃烤餅的時候，上面通常會撒些糖粉，抹上黃油。

秋冬季節(jié)是荷式烤餅的傳統(tǒng)消費旺季，街頭巷尾和露天市場隨處可見賣這種美味小吃的攤點。人們常把烤餅放到一個小紙盤上，吃的時候用小叉子輕抹黃油，然后叉起小餅送入口中。風吹起糖粉，雪白的粉末落在臉頰和衣服上，這也是吃小餅的樂趣之一哦！

奶油肉丸

奶油肉丸是種油炸小吃，在荷蘭的小餐館和酒吧里隨處可見。這些美味肉丸的外皮有一層酥脆的面包屑，內(nèi)里填充的則是由牛肉末、牛肉湯、面粉、黃油、香草和調(diào)味料混合而成的軟而黏的餡兒。奶油肉丸上桌時，通常還會配上芥末來供人們蘸食。

如果你從未品嘗過奶油肉丸，不妨在小餐館喝啤酒時點上一份，兩者堪稱絕配。不過，咬下肉丸那酥脆的外皮時要小心，因為里面的肉餡通常會非常燙！

蜜糖華夫餅干

蜜糖華夫餅干是一種味美而有嚼勁的甜點，最早出現(xiàn)于18世紀的荷蘭小城豪達。事實上，直到1870年，蜜糖華夫餅干也只有在豪達才有，當時僅在這一座城市就有約一百家烘焙屋出售這一甜點。……