Dutch Cuisine

Traditions of Dutch Cuisine

Modern Dutch cuisine emerged around the 15th century. During this time, several key changes in trade and society reshaped the national diet. The potato, an Andean root, arrived in Antwerp in 1567.[1] By 1800, it was the staple food of poor farmers and laborers. Compared to other European societies, a peasant of the Netherlands kept a relatively diverse diet. Most had access to poorhouses that served bread, vegetables, soups, stews, and dairy. The sick were additionally given fresh fruit and wine for their recovery.[2][3]

In 1380, a man named Willem Beukelz developed a method to brine fish instead of salting them. The seemingly small change allowed Dutch fishermen to dominate the herring market. By the 17th century, an estimated 20 percent of the population worked in the industry. For merchants, the salt herring trade funded expansions into the global economy. For poor families, the fish were a cheap source of protein. They were eaten smoked, salted, and pickled, alone, in stews, or in salads. Today, the first barrel of the herring season is still presented to the Queen.[2][4]

While coastal cities fished and traded, inland farmers produced abundant milk, cheese, and grain crops. According to popular lore, the Dutch sold their finest cheeses and only kept what was left for themselves. Herring, cheese, and imported grains, all fostered by growing trade, came to form the basis of the traditional Netherlander's diet. Wealthy merchants also enjoyed access to foods from around the world. Golden Age paintings often depict sumptuous, half-eaten feasts paired with parrots and other exotic animals. Even among the middle class, 70 to 80 percent of a family's income was spent on food.[5][6]

Traditional Meals of the Netherlands

A typical family of the historic Netherlands ate three meals per day. A typical light breakfast included bread, butter, and cheese or porridge. The main meal of the day was lunch, a three-course meal for the wealthy and a two-course meal for the middle classes. Meat and vegetable stews were the common central dish, served alongside pancakes, waffles, salads, fruits, and separate meats and vegetables. A smaller dinner was usually limited to breakfast fare or left-overs.[5]

Baking and Desserts in the Netherlands

The Netherlands are particularly famous for their baked goods. While sugar poured in from Caribbean colonies, Jewish confectioners sought refuge from persecution in Portugal. Three sugar refineries in 1605 grew to 60 by 1655.[2] An 1819 survey found over 5,000 bakeries in the nation.[7] Besides a wide variety of breads, cakes, and pastries, the Dutch also enjoyed chocolates and licorice candies.[8]

Dutch Beverages

The thriving trade of the Netherlands brought yet another new delight to its Golden Age citizens. Coffee and chocolate, both New World goods, grew to be as popular as native beers and wines. Chinese teas came ashore in crates and barrels, leading to the adoption of long afternoon "tea-times." Beer, once drank throughout the day, is still an especially popular beverage. An estimated 1.3 billion liters of beer were consumed in the Netherlands in 2004.[2][4]

Modern Cuisine of the Netherlands

Today, the cuisine of the Netherlands reflects modern tastes and a colonial history. Fried foods like bitterballen, kroketten, and sweet dumplings are commonly served by street vendors and restaurants. Many dishes also incorporate curries, rice, and peanut sauces, imports from the colonial period. Stamppot, a descendant of earlier meat-and-vegetable stews, combines sausage with sauerkraut and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, endives, kale, and onions. Pea soup, or snert, is another favorite.[9]

Bibliography

1. John Reader, Potato: A History of the Propitious Esculent (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011), 91.

2. Rachel Laudan, Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2015), 225-233.

3. Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2014), 174-176.

4. Sari Edelstein, Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals (Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011), 125-130.

5. Klaske Muizelaar and Derek Phillips, Picturing Men and Women in the Dutch Golden Age: Paintings and People in Historical Perspective (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003), 39-41.

6. J. L. Price, Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (London: Reaktion Books, 2012), 50.

7. Oscar Gelderblom, The Political Economy of the Dutch Republic (Farnham: Ashgate, 2009), 109-110.

8. Francesca DiPiazza, Netherlands in Pictures (Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2011), 54-55.

9. Clara ten Houte de Lange, Dutch Cooking Today (Wormer: Inmerc, 2007).

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