Lieutenant
Posted 2 weeks ago
8 Sateh/Sate
From origin from Asia, having colonial interest for a few hundred years in the Dutch Indies (Now Indonesia) we imported the food and made it part of the Dutch tradition.
Sateh is meat on a stick (mostly chicken). Sateh sauce is a peanut based sauce that can be used with many dishes.
Both Sateh and sateh sauce have found their way into the Dutch homes.
Lieutenant
Posted 2 weeks ago
9 The Heineken Experience
The Heineken Experience is an attraction in Amsterdam. Build in one of the old breweries, it has a lot of things to do around the world famous brand. There is old marketing things to see, the traditional brewing process and various fun activities.
The opening times in the summer are excellent:
It is not a long trip, but most people that visit it, find it very good fun. I went there years ago with two friends and we sure had a nice time and enjoyed the beer samples included with the ticket.
Spoiler
Lieutenant
Posted A week ago
10 Cheese (Kaas)
One of the top exports of the country and for good reasons. The Dutch are world famous for yellow style cheeses. Gouda (a small city in Zuid-Holland province) is famous for a type of cheese. Edam (close to Amsterdam) is famous for more round style yellow cheese that stays good very long.
Cheese is a prime ingredient of a proper Dutch lunch. Some of the best yellow cheeses are Dutch Old Amsterdam (bit stronger and salty), Beemster, Millner, Leerdam (soft and with holes).
The cheeses have names like jong (young), belegen (not so young anymore, so bit more salty, some milk vaporized), extra belegen (older than belegen), oud (old, the most salty and hard type, not for beginners)
When I was in South-Africa I tried to explain the locals that their cheese tasted like plastic, it was a factory made cheese for bulk production. The secretary did not believe me. At the end of my term there, I bought a piece of Dutch Old Amsterdam and put little flags in it and handed it out to the people I worked with.
After having a piece she told me:"I now understand what you meant."
While looking for a picture i just found that the Dutch Astronaut Andre Kuipers took Old Amsterdam into space
Lieutenant
Posted A week ago
I almost forgot: The one that is a bit like babybell in terms of taste is called Kernhem.
It is a Dutch modern style cheese that is made a different way than the cheeses in the article.
Tasters describe it as mildly spicey, bit sticky (cheese will stay on your cutting knife)
Give it a try when you are in Holland, it is nice on toast.
Full disclosure: I just finished the last bit of the piece of Kernhem I had in the house and bought some belegen Beemster cheese for the weekend
Lieutenant
Posted A week ago
11 Cookies - Koek
From what I have seen and heard, the Dutch have more candy and cookies in the supermarket than most other countries.
This is for a few reasons:
1 We have many types of liquirice and actively buy those (maybe i make an article about it, but most foreigners dont like the salty types)
2 We have many types of cookies and actively buy those too (though the trend is down i guess towards more crisps)
Some of the best cookies include:
Stroopwafels: major export
Gevulde koek: big cookie with crushed almond filling
Kletskoppen (chatterboxes/talking heads) cruncy cookie with nuts
Bokkenpootjes (goat legs) Chocolate on the outside, cookie with white filling inside
I will recommend everyone visiting the country: spend a few Euros on cookies, buy a few different packs and see what you like
Lieutenant
Posted A week ago
12 Our beloved lord in the attic (Onse lieve heer op solder)
For the people that like culture and finding hidden gems, this museum qualifies. I took my wife here last year without telling her what it is and she loved the surprise. To appreciate this place you have to understand some of Dutch history. In the 15th and 16th century religious conflict was all over Europe. In the Netherlands we had catholics in the south and protestants in the north. In Amsterdam catholics were not allowed to have visible churches, so this is a church secretly build into a block of merchant houses. There were more of those small gathering places accross the inner city. I think this one is the most well kept.
It is now a museum where you can spend a few hours seeing how the city was like in the 16th century.
Lieutenant
Posted 4 days ago
13 Keukenhof
One of the best gardens in the world in the world, colors and shapes you have never seen before. People from all continents come to see this when it is open. Unfortunately it is not open in August, but if people are going to Holland now, this is a must see.
Sing the old Dutch song "Tulips from Amsterdam" and see Keukenhof to admire the actual tulips.
Holland exports a lot of flower bulbs and other agricultural products. Keukenhof is in one of the locations where a lot of flower bulbs are harvested.
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