{"id":40948,"date":"2015-09-22T10:40:24","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T00:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/vc\/blog\/?p=40948"},"modified":"2015-09-22T12:33:53","modified_gmt":"2015-09-22T02:33:53","slug":"top-six-food-nom-nominations-in-amsterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/vc\/blog\/top-six-food-nom-nominations-in-amsterdam\/","title":{"rendered":"Top six food nom-nominations in Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Netherlands is known for its tulips, wooden shoes, famous artists, red lights and liberal approach towards certain plants.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What it\u2019s not known for is its cuisine. I find that understandable considering the thousands of Dutch food trucks that sell raw herring<\/a> covered in fresh onions \u2013 and how the Dutch love it! Safe to say that when I jumped on a plane to Amsterdam<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t for culinary reasons. A real shame, since I am Dutch myself and know that my nation is not completely oblivious when it comes to our tastebuds. That\u2019s why during my last trip, I hopped between different bars and restaurants to find the top five foods you should try when in the Low Lands.<\/p>\n

This is what I came up with:<\/p>\n

\"Kip1. Kip sate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kip Sate \u2013 Chicken Satay \u2013 is a fancy way to describe a chicken skewer drowned in peanut sauce. It\u2019s very likely that you have tried something similar when travelling through Asia<\/a>, but the Dutch version is adjusted to a\u00a0not so spicy cuisine which results in a sweet and soft piece of meat, accompanied by a bunch of chips with mayonnaise, prawn crackers and atjar (pickled vegetables). \u00a0It\u2019s basically the Chicken Satays bigger and fatter brother, taking a bath in liquid peanut butter. I had mine at Caf\u00e9 Kost Verloren in Amsterdam, but you\u2019ll find this dish on the menu of pretty much every decent pub.<\/p>\n

\"Bitterbal2. Bitterballen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Netherlands might not be known for its wine or excellent liquor, but they sure know how to organise some arvo drinks. They call it \u2018borrelen\u2019 and a good \u2018borrel\u2019 is not complete without a decent snack. Forget crackers and brie, a true Dutch \u2018Borrel Snack\u2019 is deep fried, fatty and exactly what you need after two drinks in the sun. My favourite is the \u2018Bitterball\u2019. The outside is crispy, whilse the inside is filled with a thick beef or veal broth and they\u2019re typically served with mustard. You\u2019ll find the bitterbal at almost every pub or caf\u00e9 on the \u2018borrel menu\u2019. I indulged in this deliciousness at Pllek in Amsterdam<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Tompouce<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pink, yellow and delicious. If you have a sweet tooth, this better be the first thing you try after landing. The tompouce is an icon, especially those you buy at HEMA. It\u2019s vanilla custard locked in between two layers of puff pastry with pink icing. Due to its interesting shape, it is hard to eat, and the art of eating one has yet to be invented. It\u2019s going to be nasty, but you\u2019ll be so high on sugar that you don\u2019t care about the vanilla custard moustache that you just created. Get yours at Hema and enjoy it with coffee or tea.<\/p>\n

4. Broodje Filet American<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those who have been to Belgium<\/a> are probably familiar with their famous Steak Tartare. Those who have never heard of it, are probably best to stay away from it. Scrap that image of a juicy steak and replace it by a bunch of raw beef meat, decorated with an equally as raw egg, topped with capers and \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 raw onion. The Dutch came up with their own version and named \u00a0it something just as deceiving. Filet American is blended raw beef meat which you can have for breakfast or lunch on a sandwich, or on a cracker during the \u2018borrel\u2019. It\u2019s served best with salt and pepper, a boiled egg or raw onions and capers.<\/p>\n

\"Ragout<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Ragout Pasteitje<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsflash: Gravy and Pastry had a baby and it\u2019s called Ragout Pasteitje. There are two parts to this magical creature. The \u2018pasteitje\u2019 is a bowl made out of puff pastry, the \u2018ragout\u2019 is a combination of butter, flower, stock and meat or fish. You pour the ragout in the puff pastry and serve it as a starter. It sounds complicated, but easy starter packs are available in the supermarket. These will take 10 minutes to prepare and will look as if you just won Masterchef. My favourite is\u00a0chicken or the veal ragout.<\/p>\n\"Patatje\n

6. Worth mentioning: Patatje oorlog<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freely translated as \u2018Hot Chips at War\u2019 (I imagine this has to do with the mess). It\u2019s a bunch of fries covered in a lot of spicy ketchup, a lot of mayonnaise and raw onions. Yum<\/p>\n

Have you tried any weird and wonderful foods in Amsterdam that we should know about? Tell us in the comments!<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n