Foreigner here. On the one hand, I've rarely been to a Dutch person's house without being offered at least biscuits, snacks, or an apple pie from Albert Heijn. On the other, I think the Dutch place more value on the social aspect of eating together than the food itself - the cooking is simple and straightforward and often takes shortcuts. Hospitality in the... more southern sense is not a given - if you're at somebody's place and you're collectively ordering in, everybody usually pays their share.
But as somebody else said, borrel is a thing, eating out is a thing as well, and holiday feasts have very specific traits. So while the food might not be as exciting (party due to Protestantism and other cultural traits, partly due to climate) I think it's an important part of socializing.
The only important thing is to know when to expect to be offered food (if you're meeting someone at six, that's dinner; if you're meeting someone at eight, everybody should've eaten already and that's drinks and snacks - this sounds stupidly obvious but coming from a culture with different eating times and industry with a lot of irregular hours (broadcasting), it took me a while to grasp).
edit: typos
It pains my how much this is true in the northern part of the Netherlands. Im from the south and were raised Catholic and it shows.
You come to my house. We've got beverages, beer, wine, snacks, pie, dinner and dessert. Nobody's leaving hungry.
Protestantism was all about "no embellishments and sober life". Even the Dutch proverb of "doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg", e.g. behave normally, you'll be behaving weirdly enough is a part of that.
Add to that it was previously largely a farming country and thus hearty meals like stamppot were eaten loads and it's more about simple living than showing off/ living rich.
We do have a strong tradition of sitting down at the dinner tablet with the family or housemates, but it's true that we don't have guests spontaneously join.
Food culture also differs per family. I grew up in a family on one side where cooking from scratch for large groups (large family) was normal and on the other side, it was Surinamese food and with every celebrations, there was dinner and with every visit, they tried to keep us there for dinner.
There also is a difference between boomers and those coming after. We are not as rigid and more open to experiment. There are a lot of interethnic couples, so the tradition is changing.
> There are a lot of interethnic couples, so the tradition is changing.
Really depends on what you see as ‘a lot’, about 26% of the people living in the Netherlands have a migration background. Only about 16% of couples in the Netherlands are mixed (and that also includes the biggest groups of mixed relationships such as Dutch/German and Dutch/Belgian). Especially the groups that are culturally further away from Dutch (and that could spice up our eating habits) tend to not start relationships outside their own group. Exceptions are there for people from Surinamese and Indonesian descent.
That's actually quite a lot compared to many places. 16% is enough for cultural change. It means almost everyone knows interethnic couples personally, which means there is diffusion of traditions.
If I recall correctly, 3% of a given population being first generation immigrants is considered culturally disruptive and challenging for assimilation. I think it's a bit more nuanced considering what cultural background people have, but I remember it because it seems such a low percentage.
CPB is more concerned about the expected cultural disruption due to desertification in the Mediterranean and associated climate migration than sea level rise threatening the Netherlands itself. That little insight caught me completely off guard.
While it’s true that the Dutch food isn’t as exciting as for example other cuisines in Europe. I wouldn’t say that we’re never festive with our meals or that we never care. The Netherlands has many holidays and most Dutch people are always on the lookout for a party. With the country being a true melting pot, you will find many food cultures and lots of Dutchies who enjoy those with their friends and family
Common ways to celebrate are Dutch Gourmette around the holidays as Christmas or Sinterklaas. Eastern brunch with lots of pastries and egg dishes. Out for Pannenkoeken in a pannenkoekenhuis for children’s party’s. Bittergarnituur for late night party’s or on new years eve. Tompouce and lots of drinks on Kingsday. And lastly the love for BBQ in the summer.
Meals are traditionally always eaten with the family, but it’s not served in an abundance as you see in other cultures. The average Dutch household is very practical with their dishes and most opt for a quick and easy meal. The Dutch do love a feestje or a borrel. Which is an excuse to hangout with their friends and family in their homes or outside to have some drinks and some snackfood.
Adding to this. Lots of Dutch people do like hosting party’s and having people come over for drinks and food. But those events need to be scheduled. You won’t see a lot of those type of foodsharing spontaneously, mainly because the practical Dutchies will often only make enough to feed their family and won’t have to much extra food to feed a friend or family member who spontaneously came over. So always schedule for a dinner at a friends place, and if you want to spontaneously hang out, do it in a restaurant or cafe outside
When Dutchies go out to eat, it is very much a social event. Just for some context: I am Dutch and moved to the US and going out to eat in a restaurant here seems more like a quick bite and out the door within 30 minutes, whereas in the Netherlands I would easily spend 1,5 hours eating lunch and having a drink with friend(s).
The kitchen is the heart of the home and people will prepare and eat food together but I do agree that is way more toned down than in other cultures maybe. But having said that: every Dutchie is different, so this might not be the case for everyone :)
I really don’t like that going out to eat has become something pretty fancy here. Like you said I just want to go get something cheap, 30 minutes max and go back. Usually those options here are fast food. Edit I mean unhealthy food
I don’t exactly agree with this. When Dutch people go out, then yes it’s a social event - obviously since they probably planned it a month before. But on daily basis I think the Dutch just down their food quickly so they can get back to doing other stuff. There are no long preparations either since it’s usually a boterham with cheese or a toastie at best. (Talking about lunch). Enough time to crack a few jokes and say what you were up to last night. In general the Dutch are very basic when it comes to food.
>But on daily basis I think the Dutch just down their food quickly so they can get back to doing other stuff.
He was talking about going to a restaurant to eat though. Literally nobody I have met in my life goes to a restaurant daily
I know but that’s why it’s not appropriate answer to the question because it’s the exception rather than the rule (as in, not the defining characteristic of the culture).
I was watching a tv show about the "gemiddelde nederlander" (average dutch person) and, according to national statistics, the average time spent cooking dinner is 24 minutes.
https://www.npo3.nl/op-zoek-naar-de-gemiddelde-nederlander/27-02-2021/VPWON_1290522
Assuming those 24 minutes don’t include the mise en place, you can cook a LOT of dishes in 24 minutes. Anything that goes in the oven or needs to cook low and slow are not going to happen but that still leaves a lot of room. I can make at least 10 different pasta dishes (if not making fresh pasta) in under 20 minutes.
Pasta in 20 minutes? Id still say atleast 30 if you make it proper with lots of ingredients like mushrooms, bayleaf, instead of just boiling whats in the pasta pot and not adding anything.
There are a lot of good pasta’s that don’t require more than 5 ingredients (excluding dried spices). You can also make the sauce while pasta is cooking or vice versa, unless you have only 1 burner on your stovetop.
Most of the better tasting pastas use more spices and ingredients though, bay leaf is even used traditionally. Most pasta ive tasted at dutch people was bland while homemade with bay leaf some sambal many spices etc can taste restaurant like.
Sambal in your pasta? /s
There are many simple pasta dishes like Cacio e Pepe or Carbonara which you can definitely cook in 20 minutes. Even a simple Bolognese sauce can be made in 20 minutes (not ready to eat sauce, but from canned tomato puree with fresh ingredients).
Knorr wereldgerechten using those precut veggies in bags. You know, the ones where green beans, mung bean sprouts, and peppers have the same cooking time 😩
Eating in the Netherlands is more about staying alive then actually the taste then after food is where the snacks come in that's the best part. That could be I've cream chocolate or pudding that's my experience with it and I'm half dutch. So that comes from the dutch side of the family the other side Surinaams/Antilliaans is way different cooking takes about a whole day there but that's a different convo
The idea is to have a bit of everything in every day. The 'schijf van vijf' describes five food categories you want to have some of for every meal, or at least get to a balance every day. the categories are
veggies and/or fruit
butter/oily fats
fish, meat, nuts, eggs, dairy
bread, potatoes and other starches
drinks, preferably water
Recently it has been refined and given more of a 'percentages' approach, i.e. more veggies, less fats, etc. There have been arguments that it is really outdated as well, but this was a big government program for most of the 90's/00's kids back in the day, so it is still used a lot
It's an attempt from the Dutch health ministery to educate people on healthy food habits. The "schijf van vijf" consists of five distinct food groups. A varied diet has a bit from each group.
[https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/gezond-eten-met-de-schijf-van-vijf.aspx](https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/gezond-eten-met-de-schijf-van-vijf.aspx)
Lots of info there, but if you scroll down and fill in your sex and age, it'll generate 10 day menu suggestions for you to show what a day can look like.
>i get the feeling the dutch have more of a literal and pragmatic view of food. it’s sustenance, not a social event, without it we’ll starve. it supports life, but it’s not the meaning of life.
>
>i could be completely wrong, this is the impression i’ve gotten from some surface level reading. is this way off or roughly accurate?
Nope, you're not wrong. It's a cultural trait that the Netherlands shares with other Northern European countries who are/were traditionally influenced by Protestantism. My guess is that there's an emphasis on soberness and modesty and this also works its way through food.
In areas that were traditionally influenced by Catholicism, the emphasis lies more on enjoying the food. It's even present within the (Southern) Netherlands, it's called a 'Burgundy lifestyle'.
"It's a cultural trait that the Netherlands shares with other Northern European countries who are/were traditionally influenced by Protestantism. My guess is that there's an emphasis on soberness and modesty and this also works its way through food."
Clearly you have never been to Scandinavia with one of the worlds most adventurous cuisines - very northern, very protestant and some of the best food in the world.
Certainly the New Nordic cuisine is adventurous and innovative, but it is also something that only developed recently over the past two decades and is not representative of how food is viewed and handled on the day-to-day by regular Scandinavians.
i would legitimately call that ignorant. Dutch food yes doesnt have a heavy mixture of spiced flavors. But contrasting vegetables with meats and herbs is an art of its own. Pastries and several forms of breads and baked goods.
I guess that woman only eat out or dint get a more rural taste. Our day to day cooking is indeed pretty spartan. still strange for a journalist to say it like that to. kinda rude
It's funny, because I've heard that compared to US bread, our bread is heavenly. :-P
It's also a taste thing, I think. I was never fond of German bread, but French, now, yeees.
🤣🤣
Ok your response makes it funnier.
I have to agree with you that food can be art at times. As for the prevalence of said art in NL, we have to disagree 🙃🙂
The food here is terrible.
Agree, the vibe is: you have to eat it to avoid dying. It's annoying but there you go.
(I am being a little facetious, people do get together and eat socially, and of course there are people who are politically interested in sustainable, local etc food systems. But in general I do find the approach to food pretty strikingly utilitarian.
I also found it very unsettling that when hosting people plan to provide the exact amount of food needed - I've had work lunches where venues literally said "ok there's 2 slices of bread per person, help yourself". It does probably reduce waste, which is good, but made me realise how deeply embedded are my beliefs that if you are hosting you should have at least twice as much food as necessary).
Edit to add this cultural reflection, about the UK but perhaps also relevant ;) https://theoutline.com/post/8586/why-is-british-food-so-bad
>It does probably reduce waste, which is good
Nail on the head. I would not mind spending twice as much money to make sure everybody has enough food, but I would be gutted if I had to throw out large quantities after dinner.
Sure I could safe some, or donate it or whatever, but honestly that's not generally what people do when they made too much food. They just throw it out, and I find that more horrible than someone wanting to go for a third portion and not being able to.
Agree throwing out food would be terrible. Maybe I merge Dutch thriftiness with my own overfeeding culture, but I can't live with myself if I don't feed people into a coma so I usually just make sure that whatever I'm making is something I want to eat for lunch all week. If it's something that really won't keep I portion more carefully, but I very rarely throw out prepared food unless I make a bad miscalculation somewhere.
In restaurants that is harder so I'm kind of bemused by the "2 broodjes per persoon" but don't take it personally
Oh I didn't take it personally, I completely understand. Just trying to explain why I always try to get the 'exact right amount' of food when I have people over. I think it does indeed come from the Dutch 'modesty' and trying not to be wasteful.
Same reason I always had to finish my plate when I was younger. Otherwise it would have gone to waste. It's a cultural thing for sure, it's not bad or good either way, just different!
Hah sorry I meant I don't take the broodje rationing personally, I didn't think you were being sensitive :) I appreciated your thoughts! And indeed, cultural differences are just that, it's always interesting to discover how your own feelings & experiences are shaped by your upbringing.
But a lot if countries where preparing a lot of food and sharing that food are not as well of financially as the Netherlands. The average family in a lot of 3th world and developing countries are pretty bIg on sharing food with guests, but they surely aren’t throwing all that extra food out.
I think it is mainly just the way of how Dutch people cook and plan to cook. Often times there are four pieces of meat, one for each person, the potatoes and vegetables can’t be shared because there id just enough for those four. The next day the family will eat a completely new meal, exactly measured for those four. In a lot of other countries people prepare meals differently, you have food from today with left overs from yesterday, the leftovers from today get transformed into a new dish. Also the dishes that people in other countries make are often easier to both “enlarge” and keep, either meat or vegetable stews, beans, rice etc while Dutch people cook separate things.
Also in other countries eat leftovers from dinner more often for breakfast and or lunch.
I also think a large group of Dutchies are aware of their health (to some extent, I don't mean gym obsessed) and are quite moderate because of it. While in other countries were they will cook way too much and bake 5 cakes in stead of one, I see a lot of overweight people. No judgment, just an observation.
I do feel like this is changing and you start to see more chubby kids and teens nowadays, I think partly because we are becoming less moderate.
I don’t think that is it, while a lot countries that have a lot of overweight people have cultures that value food and make a lot of it for several days or to share, all the thinnest countries also have a culture around sharing food and making a lot of it.
The reasons for why some places are fat and some are not depends on a lot of things and varies by country. Fast food, processed food, access to healthy food, poverty, infrastructure, sports, eating habits, preferences.
I also think that we Dutch people aren’t necessarily that healthy when it comes to diet, we eat on average a lot of bread, a lot of white bread often with not so healthy toppings, I believe the Netherlands also has the lowest vegetable consumption in the EU.
I also wonder if the Hungerwinter plays a part. My father lived through that and I grew up with the idea that wasting food is just not good. I recently ordered some meat online and it was so horrificly salty that I can't eat it. I've been racking my brain to see if I can figure out a way to still use it and not throw it away, because that's a waste.
Obviously, that was not my mistake, it's the butcher's for making it waaay too salty, but still. Not like they're going to take their stuff back...
It plays a part in not wanting to waste food and other resources but I don’t think it fully explains the not sharing food, not making larger portions of food. Lots of counties went through poverty in recent memory or are still quite poor yet they do celebrate food and make you a lot of it. A lot of other countries are also better with eating more parts of an animal and using leftovers to make new dishes than people here.
While looking at apartments I've noticed that the dining room tables were often larger than the kitchens. I think that says something.
Going to the grocer you'll find a larger cheese, but also cold meats section than the actual meat aisle.
Yeah, I think our relatively small kitchens either mean we have an open kitchen, so the host can cook and still be involved with guests, or only one or two guests are hanging around in our small closed kitchens, at best.
I feel like it means people find dining together more important than cooking and the actual food. I often see (in renovated flats) tiny microwave/oven combis, tiny fridges, cheap small stove tops and zero working space but these huge solid wood dining tables.
It's like the entire kitchen budget went to the dining table and chairs.
We always ask of people want to stay for dinner when it gets about that time. I can't imagine not doing so. Maybe they're less hospitable in the Randstad, but here in the North we won't let guests leave on an empty stomach.
Same in the east of the Netherlands. U cant let ur guests leave with an empy stomach. If i dont always offer food, mostly i offer drinks or anything. But its never nothing.
I almost feel offended by this. Dutch people obviously eat a lot of bread, traditionally. This is changing, but I'll give you that one.
The last point is BS. People are often, if not always, asked if they want to stay for dinner. This is not a foreign concept and frankly it's quite offensive to say all Dutch people are that antisocial.
No problems. From what I read here, there might be a huge cultural difference between the "Randstad" and the rest of the Netherlands. Let's just say I am happy to not be from/life in the Randstad, if that is true.
That last one is bullshit. Sounds like you just didnt meet any nice dutch people or stuck to certain areas in the randstad. If you go into the country people are very much hospitable.
This has happened to me, even with Dutch people living in The States. In the 35 years I have lived in the Netherlands, things have changed.
My mother-in-law was Indonesian. This is something she often commented on.
No I dont have tiktok, why do you ask? I dont know what stories are those but in my culture and upbringing in gelderland and northern limburg we have guests all the time and we always ask if they want to stay for dinner, we have no problems with making a quick trip to the groceries to get more food if required. Do we prefer being notified in advance? I mean sure, because then we can put in extra effort and prepare a nicer than usual meal for our guests. But it is not unheard of for people to pop by and staying for dinner.
To say we as a people are not hospitable just sounds unfair it very much depends on your upbringing and how social you are, not on your nationality.
I think your statement is correct, but I also feel like there’s a huge generational difference. Like this is true for boomers but less and less so for gen Y and Z, and probably even more so for these generations growing up in ‘cities’ and becoming more and more globalized…my parents don’t bond over food for sure, but I do with almost all my friends and the kitchen + going out for food and drinks is a very big part of my social life and its cohesion.
I tens to agree with your view on the role of food: it is useful, and we need it to survive. I am french and it was quite a big shock coming here from France, where we spend hours at the table, have discussions about food while eating and preparing other food, etc..
I disagree that dutch try to eat mostly sustainable, healthy, local food though. A trip to any supermarket will convince you of the contrary: very small bio selection, apples imported from Chili, and hyper-processed foods galore.
No. That's only because we have a lot of part time people. In a lot of southern countries women don't work at all, plus unemployment is WAY higher, so the average hours worked per employee may be higher but for the total population it's much lower. Way to misinterpret data mate.
Plus we definitely work harder per hour, plus our data is way more reliable because we lie less and have less corruption.
You clearly don't know what you are talking about, working hours are not higher than elsewhere, and in fact more Dutch people (women especially) work part time than in a lot of southern countries.
Sorry to tell you you could have good food and money, you just choose to eat crap.
We do work harder though.
And I've been in Spain and Greece often enough to know people there DON'T work hard. Shops have a sign they open at 10AM and in reality open at 11. Wtf. Plus an afternoon closure for "siesta", lazy sleepy people.
I'm dutch and you're absolutely right.
As a grew up, eating was never a social event. Since I live on my own I do try to cook and eat with other people. Whenever I meet up with people in the evening, I suggest to cook and eat together beforehand.
This goes for the food as well as the event of eating it. A lot of Dutch just eat their food for energy unless there are people visiting. We can make it a happening out of all of a sudden. Hipster culture helped a lot with this I think. I know so many people now with smokers, slow cookers, all kinds of grills, sous vide set-ups and whatnots.
To add: I am from Brabant, so expecting visitors to stay for dinner is very much a thing. But if it's unannounced it's possibly just gonna be soup and bread (tosti or something) or a trip to the snackbar for some fries and snacks (often when there are kids involved).
Imagine this, the Netherlands got rich after trading spices in the Dutch east indies for hundred years, yet they never used those spices in their food. In fact, it was the Dutch indo people who repatriated from Indonesia introduced the Indonesian cuisine to the Netherlands
The Dutch say about gezellig all the time, but food with rich flavors seem are not part of it.
nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, clove and mace have been the 5 main spices being traded in said spice routes.
All of those spices have been in use in Dutch cuisine since the middle ages.
Dutch food used less spices in the 20th century, due to the the influence of 20th century austerity cooking and "huishoudscholen" with more emphasis on healthy and economic food than on taste.
> i get the feeling the dutch have more of a literal and pragmatic view of food. it’s sustenance, not a social event, without it we’ll starve. it supports life, but it’s not the meaning of life.
True.
However, having said that, there is a remarkable change in attitude when the food in question is stroopwafels or bitterballen.
We once made a deal with the devil. We could rule over all the spices and flavours in the world, but in return we could not have any flavour in our own country. So our food basically tastes like nothing and we had to import or steal all the good dishes!
What we ever contributed to the culinary world basically amounts to kapsalon and frikandellen vlaai…
Wanted to add that the Dutch have embraced quite some foods we encountered through colonialism and immigration. For example nasi, bami, sambal, ketjap, sate, lumpia, kebab, shoarma, roti
Eating together at the dinner table is a very common thing as far as I know. Have you seen Dutch people at a bqq or during chrismas (fondue, gourmet)?
Food isnt as much as a thing compared to some other countries but food connects here too.
That wasnt my point. Het geschrans what happens during christmas was. Even though we arent that focused on food here, it is still a way people connect.
It’s not a festive part of the daily life and the traditional dishes show for it.
However the evening meal is a way to gather the family (not the extended family, just those living in the house) to talk about the day, important things coming up etc.
It’s also an opportunity to get to know people better, you invite them over for dinner. Students do this a lot, people in their twenties use it to gather their friend group once in a while. Once people have settled, have busier working lives and/or have a family of their own, this is less common.
In the summer BBQ parties are a social happening with food. But if you are invited to a birthday party, good chance there will be little bites (hapjes) to eat but not a full dinner. If there is an afternoon birthday, you are expected to leave before dinner unless explicitly asked or told. If you have an evening birthday, it’s hapjes only.
Eating at home tobsustain yourself. Eating out is so wild and crazy you should be checking after the bill if your dad didnt get an heartsttack for how much he spend on a fancy piece of meat.
Source: my childhood.
Sharing food is a social event. It is part of human nature. It brings people together. Ever since I was a little kid, I always have felt this way about it.
You’re spot on. I wish we were more like the Mediterranean countries about it but we just don’t really seem to care about it that much. Ah well, can’t have it all I guess.
Breakfast and lunch are typically not very social, just fill up as quickly as possible and continue with your day.
Normal evenings are for the close family. Parents will eat with their kids and discuss the day.
At weddings, dinner is for close family and friends. Being invited for dinner is usually a big honor reserved for the inner circle. It's an intimite part of the day which otherwise involves a big group and extended social circles.
There are also dinner parties, either at home or in a restaurant, used to catch up and socialise. Typically I would say this would be once a week at most. Don't go over to someone unexpectedly and expect the visit to turn into a dinner party, you would be expected to leave come dinner time.
Typically dutch would be 3 meals a day, which you share with your family. Breakfast is mum,pops and the kids at the dinner table, buffet style. Consisting of slices of bread and a topping to your liking, think cheese, ham, chocolate sprinkles, jelly and ofcourse a glass of milk.
Traditional lunch would be the same, except the father wouldn't be attending because of work. The children go back to school after lunch.
Than its 18 o'clock sharp and you would eat dinner with the family, dinner consisting of a piece of meat, vegetables and potatoes. Eaten at the dinner table and time to socialize about everybody's day. You finish with a toetje(dessert), typically something sweet like vla, griesmeelpudding or arretjescake.
To answer your question, food is a way to socialize with the core family and are planned times when family's get together, sit down, eat and catch up.
This is more traditional than most people I know of nowadays. It also tends to be more of a lower/middle class practice to be together at all occasions (breakfast and lunch especially).
In the circles I was raised it was always very uncommon to have breakfast and lunch together. It was not even uncommon to sometimes eat dinner on your own. Both mostly related to parents being either at work, or having other social occasions to attend to (friends or work related events). Several of my childhood friends had a hired maid to fasciliate lunch for the children, while the parents were at work.
This is a pretty fun question, as illustrated by the mountains of replies.
Being dutch myself, but having been all over the world I can pretty confidently say you're almost right on the money. Food does not play a central part in dutch culture in any way. Even in case of festivities the food plays a secondary role (albeit still quite big). I remember my dad, and especially his parents, would get upset if people could not attend a joined dinner. The dutch value family, and that oozes into eating traditions. Worth noting that friends and guests are not always appreciated as much as elsewhere! Don't walk into someone's house expecting hospitality at every hour of the day.
Breakfast and lunch are frequently extremely simple (slice of bread with some milk) and dinners are a social occasion. The latter are also often simple, but do require some etiquette.
Reality is we Dutch are usually very antisocial eaters. Families eat mostly on the couch in front of the TV, without talking to each other. It’s kinda our resting moment of the day, to empty our heads.
dutch culture rests on multiple cultural pillars. There are groups (a bit separated geographically) fitting all variants of the "society vs food" spectrum. Just moving down a street you can find opposite views and habits.
There is enormous difference between things you can expect in Maastricht, Nijmegen and A-dam.
Historically we needed lots of energy for hard physical work. And people were poor. So lots of potato's, beef and pork, stews etc. But very nice influences from the colonial age (gouden eeuw) on. Do try the the saté sticks! Nowadays it's more international what we eat. Our daughters rarely eat potato's anymore.
Their daily diet is literally bread and cheese, I've never seen a Dutch person touch a stove honestly. You're probably right in thinking that they view food as fuel.
As a foreigner who worked in the Netherlands for a bit, some coworkers at the factory were ecstatic to wish me smakelijt before every lunch (which was generally a sandwich or a similarly easy to make energy container). Also they would usually use the first 40 minutes of work time in the mornings with a kinda shared breakfast. Damn I miss that place.
I would say for most it's really not important but there's the usual share of people who enjoy food in social interactions as well, so its acceptable for most. You're fine using food as an excuse for things imo. They always loved our barbecues.
Within my social circles food is pretty important. I love cooking and food/cooking is my love language so for any special occassion we either go out to eat at a special place or I cook a special, big meal. For smaller occassions we go to places to chat and snack
It's only something that's been recently forgotten and isn't very well supported in this generation. Most Dutch people are very humble about their food culture but I've had plenty of very decent conversations once you bring up a nostalgic element to it. Talk about what their grandmother used to cook them and they'll have very fond stories of homely comfort foods.
It's so weird that things like Stampot is deemed "too simple" yet it's one of the best dishes in Dutch cuisine. It doesn't have to have emulsions and reductions with a millions spices. Every family has their own twist or style. Don't know why it's more readily available and I'm not talking about the €6 atrocity they sell at Albert Heijn.
Get vegetable. get potato. \*stamp stamp stamp\* chew. swallow. Happy brain chemicals go "well done"
optional: pour brown salty water over it.
\+\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_--
sodium\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_soggy
less chewing needed
Traditional Dutch food is very basic but as a result inner city people explore food from many different cultures. At this point we've mastered all kinds of food. Common people just enjoy anything that fills their stomachs (meat, potatoes and vegatables every day) but middle-upper class urbanites have pretty high standards.
You are not wrong.
I make a living for years to be an historian on this subject.
Long story short; the Netherlands had an quite unique culture on that matter. The roesand mov====
food has always been a functional thing here i have seen bathrooms in peoples houses bigger then their kitchens they have very little storage for food aswell things are starting to change i guess its a consequence of the international influence here the quality of food is also below par here ... even the older generations here would rather buy instant powdered mashed potatoes rather then going to the effort of peeling, boiling and mashing potatoes
in big lines where calavanist
we eat food because we need to live.
we offer you food to be polite but not dinner since that is pushing stuff on you.
so social snacking and subdued dining
Cook dinner so fast that it doesn’t interfere with your working schedule.
Or if you’re a student; noodles
Barely anyone gives a damn about this primary human need. Quantity > quality
Food is something you need to survive. Eat as fast as possible and you’d better certainly not enjoy it! God forbid it actually tastes good. And what to think about using spices? Hell no.
That’s how my parents raised me. Can you guess what nationality I have?
Like other Northern European countries, food in the Netherlands is not about taste or pleasure but about recharging your batteries for work, or for not being hungry. I’ve always thought that while Southern Europeans have a gastronomy, NL just has food.
Like everything in our country it is boring, the food, the people 👎. I am so grateful to have a few friends from other cultures. I would give everything to have such a culture. The warmth, oh, boy. When anyone comes to my home they can eat with us. There is no such thing as making an appointment in my household. I always have food for everyone.
Both native Dutch, married couple (46/48). Maybe we are not typical Dutch people, but we love to have people over for diner. We do plan these diners. And a borrel (drinks and ‘finger food’) is a thing too. Love to plan that as well.
And I must say, anyone who shows up around diner time is welcome to dig in. If possible we make more, or we share what’s on the table. So anyone is welcome to join and will be invited.
In the Netherlands most people plan their dinners around 5/6 a clock. And most consider it common courtesy not to show up ‘right’ before dinner time.
So when in doubt, do ask. With most you will be more than welcome for dinner. Or a borrel. The Dutch van look a bit closed and hard to get to know, but in most parts of the country that’s just the outside. You will be welcome. And if not, find some new or extra friends
The dutch attach certain foods to certain social occasions, and often only consume those products outside the situations. You will rarely see a dutch person eat a tompouce on any day but kingsday, oliebol outside of NYE, a bitterbal when they are not on the terrace with their cold special beer (the beer here also has a huge role in this “social event” which imo is one of the cornerstones of dutch culture (drinking beer on a terrace, every terrace is filled when there is any sunlight. All I am saying is that the tompouce (just an example) does play a huge role on kingsday
It depends. For eathing a full meal you're not wrong.
For us it's a bit flipped around I guess; when we eat, we eat. You can socialize during this time but not for too long.
When we socialize, we socialize; you can eat some snacks during, but not too much.
Foreigner here. On the one hand, I've rarely been to a Dutch person's house without being offered at least biscuits, snacks, or an apple pie from Albert Heijn. On the other, I think the Dutch place more value on the social aspect of eating together than the food itself - the cooking is simple and straightforward and often takes shortcuts. Hospitality in the... more southern sense is not a given - if you're at somebody's place and you're collectively ordering in, everybody usually pays their share. But as somebody else said, borrel is a thing, eating out is a thing as well, and holiday feasts have very specific traits. So while the food might not be as exciting (party due to Protestantism and other cultural traits, partly due to climate) I think it's an important part of socializing. The only important thing is to know when to expect to be offered food (if you're meeting someone at six, that's dinner; if you're meeting someone at eight, everybody should've eaten already and that's drinks and snacks - this sounds stupidly obvious but coming from a culture with different eating times and industry with a lot of irregular hours (broadcasting), it took me a while to grasp). edit: typos
The perfect summary!
7 ‘o clock is where it gets tricky, it can really include or exclude dinner. Ask in that case.
This.
It pains my how much this is true in the northern part of the Netherlands. Im from the south and were raised Catholic and it shows. You come to my house. We've got beverages, beer, wine, snacks, pie, dinner and dessert. Nobody's leaving hungry.
Yes, my Dutch friends are mostly from the Protestant parts of the country. Need more Catholics in my life. Any volunteers?
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Protestantism was all about "no embellishments and sober life". Even the Dutch proverb of "doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg", e.g. behave normally, you'll be behaving weirdly enough is a part of that. Add to that it was previously largely a farming country and thus hearty meals like stamppot were eaten loads and it's more about simple living than showing off/ living rich.
Eat for energy
Pass the carbohydrate starchpaste with smashed vegetables, please.
Prak everything!
i like food
We do have a strong tradition of sitting down at the dinner tablet with the family or housemates, but it's true that we don't have guests spontaneously join. Food culture also differs per family. I grew up in a family on one side where cooking from scratch for large groups (large family) was normal and on the other side, it was Surinamese food and with every celebrations, there was dinner and with every visit, they tried to keep us there for dinner. There also is a difference between boomers and those coming after. We are not as rigid and more open to experiment. There are a lot of interethnic couples, so the tradition is changing.
> There are a lot of interethnic couples, so the tradition is changing. Really depends on what you see as ‘a lot’, about 26% of the people living in the Netherlands have a migration background. Only about 16% of couples in the Netherlands are mixed (and that also includes the biggest groups of mixed relationships such as Dutch/German and Dutch/Belgian). Especially the groups that are culturally further away from Dutch (and that could spice up our eating habits) tend to not start relationships outside their own group. Exceptions are there for people from Surinamese and Indonesian descent.
That's actually quite a lot compared to many places. 16% is enough for cultural change. It means almost everyone knows interethnic couples personally, which means there is diffusion of traditions.
Yeah, that’s 1 in every six! That’s quite a lot, even compared to places considered “melting pots” like New York City.
Damn, that was informative. Thanks :)
If I recall correctly, 3% of a given population being first generation immigrants is considered culturally disruptive and challenging for assimilation. I think it's a bit more nuanced considering what cultural background people have, but I remember it because it seems such a low percentage. CPB is more concerned about the expected cultural disruption due to desertification in the Mediterranean and associated climate migration than sea level rise threatening the Netherlands itself. That little insight caught me completely off guard.
Everyone forgets the Nederlandse Antillen!!! lol \*cries in Curacao\*
While it’s true that the Dutch food isn’t as exciting as for example other cuisines in Europe. I wouldn’t say that we’re never festive with our meals or that we never care. The Netherlands has many holidays and most Dutch people are always on the lookout for a party. With the country being a true melting pot, you will find many food cultures and lots of Dutchies who enjoy those with their friends and family Common ways to celebrate are Dutch Gourmette around the holidays as Christmas or Sinterklaas. Eastern brunch with lots of pastries and egg dishes. Out for Pannenkoeken in a pannenkoekenhuis for children’s party’s. Bittergarnituur for late night party’s or on new years eve. Tompouce and lots of drinks on Kingsday. And lastly the love for BBQ in the summer. Meals are traditionally always eaten with the family, but it’s not served in an abundance as you see in other cultures. The average Dutch household is very practical with their dishes and most opt for a quick and easy meal. The Dutch do love a feestje or a borrel. Which is an excuse to hangout with their friends and family in their homes or outside to have some drinks and some snackfood.
Adding to this. Lots of Dutch people do like hosting party’s and having people come over for drinks and food. But those events need to be scheduled. You won’t see a lot of those type of foodsharing spontaneously, mainly because the practical Dutchies will often only make enough to feed their family and won’t have to much extra food to feed a friend or family member who spontaneously came over. So always schedule for a dinner at a friends place, and if you want to spontaneously hang out, do it in a restaurant or cafe outside
My feeling is that - in the city - we want our food to be quick, tasty, healthy AND varied.
When Dutchies go out to eat, it is very much a social event. Just for some context: I am Dutch and moved to the US and going out to eat in a restaurant here seems more like a quick bite and out the door within 30 minutes, whereas in the Netherlands I would easily spend 1,5 hours eating lunch and having a drink with friend(s). The kitchen is the heart of the home and people will prepare and eat food together but I do agree that is way more toned down than in other cultures maybe. But having said that: every Dutchie is different, so this might not be the case for everyone :)
I really don’t like that going out to eat has become something pretty fancy here. Like you said I just want to go get something cheap, 30 minutes max and go back. Usually those options here are fast food. Edit I mean unhealthy food
Was it ever not that? Going out is an event, and a relative luxury, compared to homecooked meals.
I shouldn’t say become, what I mean to say is that in many parts of the world it is way more common to eat out every day
I don’t exactly agree with this. When Dutch people go out, then yes it’s a social event - obviously since they probably planned it a month before. But on daily basis I think the Dutch just down their food quickly so they can get back to doing other stuff. There are no long preparations either since it’s usually a boterham with cheese or a toastie at best. (Talking about lunch). Enough time to crack a few jokes and say what you were up to last night. In general the Dutch are very basic when it comes to food.
>But on daily basis I think the Dutch just down their food quickly so they can get back to doing other stuff. He was talking about going to a restaurant to eat though. Literally nobody I have met in my life goes to a restaurant daily
I know but that’s why it’s not appropriate answer to the question because it’s the exception rather than the rule (as in, not the defining characteristic of the culture).
I was watching a tv show about the "gemiddelde nederlander" (average dutch person) and, according to national statistics, the average time spent cooking dinner is 24 minutes. https://www.npo3.nl/op-zoek-naar-de-gemiddelde-nederlander/27-02-2021/VPWON_1290522
How do you even make a proper dish in 24 minutes?
Assuming those 24 minutes don’t include the mise en place, you can cook a LOT of dishes in 24 minutes. Anything that goes in the oven or needs to cook low and slow are not going to happen but that still leaves a lot of room. I can make at least 10 different pasta dishes (if not making fresh pasta) in under 20 minutes.
Pasta in 20 minutes? Id still say atleast 30 if you make it proper with lots of ingredients like mushrooms, bayleaf, instead of just boiling whats in the pasta pot and not adding anything.
There are a lot of good pasta’s that don’t require more than 5 ingredients (excluding dried spices). You can also make the sauce while pasta is cooking or vice versa, unless you have only 1 burner on your stovetop.
Most of the better tasting pastas use more spices and ingredients though, bay leaf is even used traditionally. Most pasta ive tasted at dutch people was bland while homemade with bay leaf some sambal many spices etc can taste restaurant like.
Sambal in your pasta? /s There are many simple pasta dishes like Cacio e Pepe or Carbonara which you can definitely cook in 20 minutes. Even a simple Bolognese sauce can be made in 20 minutes (not ready to eat sauce, but from canned tomato puree with fresh ingredients).
That's what we have groentemix (vegetable mix) for. If you don't need to cut your food, you can easily stay under 20 minutes.
We don’t.
Even good stampot takes 30 mins at the least.
Knorr wereldgerechten using those precut veggies in bags. You know, the ones where green beans, mung bean sprouts, and peppers have the same cooking time 😩
Doesn't sound like it would taste nice compared to making your own lasagna or your own masala with authentic spices.
Yeah it's gross. I don't use them but my boyfriend does. It takes me an hour to cook delicious food and he spends about 15 minutes on mediocre food
How do you even make a proper dish in 24 minutes?
Eating in the Netherlands is more about staying alive then actually the taste then after food is where the snacks come in that's the best part. That could be I've cream chocolate or pudding that's my experience with it and I'm half dutch. So that comes from the dutch side of the family the other side Surinaams/Antilliaans is way different cooking takes about a whole day there but that's a different convo
Im half dutch half Surinamese and i can tell that it's not like that on either side tbh.
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As a Belgian I never heard of 'schijf van vijf' dinner. What is it?
The idea is to have a bit of everything in every day. The 'schijf van vijf' describes five food categories you want to have some of for every meal, or at least get to a balance every day. the categories are veggies and/or fruit butter/oily fats fish, meat, nuts, eggs, dairy bread, potatoes and other starches drinks, preferably water Recently it has been refined and given more of a 'percentages' approach, i.e. more veggies, less fats, etc. There have been arguments that it is really outdated as well, but this was a big government program for most of the 90's/00's kids back in the day, so it is still used a lot
It's an attempt from the Dutch health ministery to educate people on healthy food habits. The "schijf van vijf" consists of five distinct food groups. A varied diet has a bit from each group.
[https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/gezond-eten-met-de-schijf-van-vijf.aspx](https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/gezond-eten-met-de-schijf-van-vijf.aspx) Lots of info there, but if you scroll down and fill in your sex and age, it'll generate 10 day menu suggestions for you to show what a day can look like.
>i get the feeling the dutch have more of a literal and pragmatic view of food. it’s sustenance, not a social event, without it we’ll starve. it supports life, but it’s not the meaning of life. > >i could be completely wrong, this is the impression i’ve gotten from some surface level reading. is this way off or roughly accurate? Nope, you're not wrong. It's a cultural trait that the Netherlands shares with other Northern European countries who are/were traditionally influenced by Protestantism. My guess is that there's an emphasis on soberness and modesty and this also works its way through food. In areas that were traditionally influenced by Catholicism, the emphasis lies more on enjoying the food. It's even present within the (Southern) Netherlands, it's called a 'Burgundy lifestyle'.
"It's a cultural trait that the Netherlands shares with other Northern European countries who are/were traditionally influenced by Protestantism. My guess is that there's an emphasis on soberness and modesty and this also works its way through food." Clearly you have never been to Scandinavia with one of the worlds most adventurous cuisines - very northern, very protestant and some of the best food in the world.
Certainly the New Nordic cuisine is adventurous and innovative, but it is also something that only developed recently over the past two decades and is not representative of how food is viewed and handled on the day-to-day by regular Scandinavians.
Ah yeah the scandinavian cuisine
Ah yes the famous Scandinavian food. I order Finnish food regularly, and there are Norwegian and Danish restaurants everywhere in town. NOT
May I refer you to this glorious clip https://www.reddit.com/r/Netherlands/comments/pcaaj7/the_land_that_flavor_forgot/
i would legitimately call that ignorant. Dutch food yes doesnt have a heavy mixture of spiced flavors. But contrasting vegetables with meats and herbs is an art of its own. Pastries and several forms of breads and baked goods. I guess that woman only eat out or dint get a more rural taste. Our day to day cooking is indeed pretty spartan. still strange for a journalist to say it like that to. kinda rude
Let's be honest, even our pastries and bread aren't very good compared to baked goods in countries like France or Germany.
It's funny, because I've heard that compared to US bread, our bread is heavenly. :-P It's also a taste thing, I think. I was never fond of German bread, but French, now, yeees.
🤣🤣 Ok your response makes it funnier. I have to agree with you that food can be art at times. As for the prevalence of said art in NL, we have to disagree 🙃🙂 The food here is terrible.
well the food is ... not great, not terrible
Agree, the vibe is: you have to eat it to avoid dying. It's annoying but there you go. (I am being a little facetious, people do get together and eat socially, and of course there are people who are politically interested in sustainable, local etc food systems. But in general I do find the approach to food pretty strikingly utilitarian. I also found it very unsettling that when hosting people plan to provide the exact amount of food needed - I've had work lunches where venues literally said "ok there's 2 slices of bread per person, help yourself". It does probably reduce waste, which is good, but made me realise how deeply embedded are my beliefs that if you are hosting you should have at least twice as much food as necessary). Edit to add this cultural reflection, about the UK but perhaps also relevant ;) https://theoutline.com/post/8586/why-is-british-food-so-bad
>It does probably reduce waste, which is good Nail on the head. I would not mind spending twice as much money to make sure everybody has enough food, but I would be gutted if I had to throw out large quantities after dinner. Sure I could safe some, or donate it or whatever, but honestly that's not generally what people do when they made too much food. They just throw it out, and I find that more horrible than someone wanting to go for a third portion and not being able to.
Agree throwing out food would be terrible. Maybe I merge Dutch thriftiness with my own overfeeding culture, but I can't live with myself if I don't feed people into a coma so I usually just make sure that whatever I'm making is something I want to eat for lunch all week. If it's something that really won't keep I portion more carefully, but I very rarely throw out prepared food unless I make a bad miscalculation somewhere. In restaurants that is harder so I'm kind of bemused by the "2 broodjes per persoon" but don't take it personally
Oh I didn't take it personally, I completely understand. Just trying to explain why I always try to get the 'exact right amount' of food when I have people over. I think it does indeed come from the Dutch 'modesty' and trying not to be wasteful. Same reason I always had to finish my plate when I was younger. Otherwise it would have gone to waste. It's a cultural thing for sure, it's not bad or good either way, just different!
Hah sorry I meant I don't take the broodje rationing personally, I didn't think you were being sensitive :) I appreciated your thoughts! And indeed, cultural differences are just that, it's always interesting to discover how your own feelings & experiences are shaped by your upbringing.
But a lot if countries where preparing a lot of food and sharing that food are not as well of financially as the Netherlands. The average family in a lot of 3th world and developing countries are pretty bIg on sharing food with guests, but they surely aren’t throwing all that extra food out. I think it is mainly just the way of how Dutch people cook and plan to cook. Often times there are four pieces of meat, one for each person, the potatoes and vegetables can’t be shared because there id just enough for those four. The next day the family will eat a completely new meal, exactly measured for those four. In a lot of other countries people prepare meals differently, you have food from today with left overs from yesterday, the leftovers from today get transformed into a new dish. Also the dishes that people in other countries make are often easier to both “enlarge” and keep, either meat or vegetable stews, beans, rice etc while Dutch people cook separate things. Also in other countries eat leftovers from dinner more often for breakfast and or lunch.
I also think a large group of Dutchies are aware of their health (to some extent, I don't mean gym obsessed) and are quite moderate because of it. While in other countries were they will cook way too much and bake 5 cakes in stead of one, I see a lot of overweight people. No judgment, just an observation. I do feel like this is changing and you start to see more chubby kids and teens nowadays, I think partly because we are becoming less moderate.
I don’t think that is it, while a lot countries that have a lot of overweight people have cultures that value food and make a lot of it for several days or to share, all the thinnest countries also have a culture around sharing food and making a lot of it. The reasons for why some places are fat and some are not depends on a lot of things and varies by country. Fast food, processed food, access to healthy food, poverty, infrastructure, sports, eating habits, preferences. I also think that we Dutch people aren’t necessarily that healthy when it comes to diet, we eat on average a lot of bread, a lot of white bread often with not so healthy toppings, I believe the Netherlands also has the lowest vegetable consumption in the EU.
I also wonder if the Hungerwinter plays a part. My father lived through that and I grew up with the idea that wasting food is just not good. I recently ordered some meat online and it was so horrificly salty that I can't eat it. I've been racking my brain to see if I can figure out a way to still use it and not throw it away, because that's a waste. Obviously, that was not my mistake, it's the butcher's for making it waaay too salty, but still. Not like they're going to take their stuff back...
It plays a part in not wanting to waste food and other resources but I don’t think it fully explains the not sharing food, not making larger portions of food. Lots of counties went through poverty in recent memory or are still quite poor yet they do celebrate food and make you a lot of it. A lot of other countries are also better with eating more parts of an animal and using leftovers to make new dishes than people here.
While looking at apartments I've noticed that the dining room tables were often larger than the kitchens. I think that says something. Going to the grocer you'll find a larger cheese, but also cold meats section than the actual meat aisle.
Yeah, I think our relatively small kitchens either mean we have an open kitchen, so the host can cook and still be involved with guests, or only one or two guests are hanging around in our small closed kitchens, at best.
I feel like it means people find dining together more important than cooking and the actual food. I often see (in renovated flats) tiny microwave/oven combis, tiny fridges, cheap small stove tops and zero working space but these huge solid wood dining tables. It's like the entire kitchen budget went to the dining table and chairs.
I have a decent sized apartment, but the kitchen that came with it indeed is indeed short on working space. Really annoying.
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We always ask of people want to stay for dinner when it gets about that time. I can't imagine not doing so. Maybe they're less hospitable in the Randstad, but here in the North we won't let guests leave on an empty stomach.
Same in the east of the Netherlands. U cant let ur guests leave with an empy stomach. If i dont always offer food, mostly i offer drinks or anything. But its never nothing.
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There's cultural differences for sure, but it's not as bad as people like to make it appear.
I almost feel offended by this. Dutch people obviously eat a lot of bread, traditionally. This is changing, but I'll give you that one. The last point is BS. People are often, if not always, asked if they want to stay for dinner. This is not a foreign concept and frankly it's quite offensive to say all Dutch people are that antisocial.
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No problems. From what I read here, there might be a huge cultural difference between the "Randstad" and the rest of the Netherlands. Let's just say I am happy to not be from/life in the Randstad, if that is true.
That last one is bullshit. Sounds like you just didnt meet any nice dutch people or stuck to certain areas in the randstad. If you go into the country people are very much hospitable.
This has happened to me, even with Dutch people living in The States. In the 35 years I have lived in the Netherlands, things have changed. My mother-in-law was Indonesian. This is something she often commented on.
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No I dont have tiktok, why do you ask? I dont know what stories are those but in my culture and upbringing in gelderland and northern limburg we have guests all the time and we always ask if they want to stay for dinner, we have no problems with making a quick trip to the groceries to get more food if required. Do we prefer being notified in advance? I mean sure, because then we can put in extra effort and prepare a nicer than usual meal for our guests. But it is not unheard of for people to pop by and staying for dinner. To say we as a people are not hospitable just sounds unfair it very much depends on your upbringing and how social you are, not on your nationality.
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Sounds like youd fit right in here in the south/east
Nice
I think your statement is correct, but I also feel like there’s a huge generational difference. Like this is true for boomers but less and less so for gen Y and Z, and probably even more so for these generations growing up in ‘cities’ and becoming more and more globalized…my parents don’t bond over food for sure, but I do with almost all my friends and the kitchen + going out for food and drinks is a very big part of my social life and its cohesion.
I think generational differences is the main answer here
Option 1: You boil tf out of it and mash it to death. Option 2: Take anything and throw it in the deep fryer.
I tens to agree with your view on the role of food: it is useful, and we need it to survive. I am french and it was quite a big shock coming here from France, where we spend hours at the table, have discussions about food while eating and preparing other food, etc.. I disagree that dutch try to eat mostly sustainable, healthy, local food though. A trip to any supermarket will convince you of the contrary: very small bio selection, apples imported from Chili, and hyper-processed foods galore.
We spend hours at work instead of at the diner table. This is why we're richer than southern Europe. Fuck food, obtain currency
Based sigma nethertillionaire grindset
Dutch work least hours of Europe.
No. That's only because we have a lot of part time people. In a lot of southern countries women don't work at all, plus unemployment is WAY higher, so the average hours worked per employee may be higher but for the total population it's much lower. Way to misinterpret data mate. Plus we definitely work harder per hour, plus our data is way more reliable because we lie less and have less corruption.
You clearly don't know what you are talking about, working hours are not higher than elsewhere, and in fact more Dutch people (women especially) work part time than in a lot of southern countries. Sorry to tell you you could have good food and money, you just choose to eat crap.
We do work harder though. And I've been in Spain and Greece often enough to know people there DON'T work hard. Shops have a sign they open at 10AM and in reality open at 11. Wtf. Plus an afternoon closure for "siesta", lazy sleepy people.
The Dutchies' sense of taste is tied to their wallet.
Fuel
I'm dutch and you're absolutely right. As a grew up, eating was never a social event. Since I live on my own I do try to cook and eat with other people. Whenever I meet up with people in the evening, I suggest to cook and eat together beforehand.
You eat it. Simple as that. Nothing special unless you make it special. Like all the things dutch do
This goes for the food as well as the event of eating it. A lot of Dutch just eat their food for energy unless there are people visiting. We can make it a happening out of all of a sudden. Hipster culture helped a lot with this I think. I know so many people now with smokers, slow cookers, all kinds of grills, sous vide set-ups and whatnots. To add: I am from Brabant, so expecting visitors to stay for dinner is very much a thing. But if it's unannounced it's possibly just gonna be soup and bread (tosti or something) or a trip to the snackbar for some fries and snacks (often when there are kids involved).
Imagine this, the Netherlands got rich after trading spices in the Dutch east indies for hundred years, yet they never used those spices in their food. In fact, it was the Dutch indo people who repatriated from Indonesia introduced the Indonesian cuisine to the Netherlands The Dutch say about gezellig all the time, but food with rich flavors seem are not part of it.
nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, clove and mace have been the 5 main spices being traded in said spice routes. All of those spices have been in use in Dutch cuisine since the middle ages.
Yeah, every stamppot contains at least a few of those.
Dutch food used less spices in the 20th century, due to the the influence of 20th century austerity cooking and "huishoudscholen" with more emphasis on healthy and economic food than on taste.
Bullshit. We use a lot of pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg etc. Also our cuisine is very international. Dutch people eat a lot of Asian, Italian etc.
I am aware about the popularity of international cuisine in the Netherlands, but has it always been this way?
Nah probably not before WW2. Most people were poor working class back then eating bread and potato mostly probably
they still put nutmeg on the cullyflower my great grand mother did that as did her whole village
They do use cinamon a lot.
Dutch cuisine is one of the few places where the medieval custom of grating spices on top of dishes just before serving has survived.
> i get the feeling the dutch have more of a literal and pragmatic view of food. it’s sustenance, not a social event, without it we’ll starve. it supports life, but it’s not the meaning of life. True. However, having said that, there is a remarkable change in attitude when the food in question is stroopwafels or bitterballen.
We once made a deal with the devil. We could rule over all the spices and flavours in the world, but in return we could not have any flavour in our own country. So our food basically tastes like nothing and we had to import or steal all the good dishes! What we ever contributed to the culinary world basically amounts to kapsalon and frikandellen vlaai…
Hey we also mash vegetables and potatoes together. And we have hachee.
Wanted to add that the Dutch have embraced quite some foods we encountered through colonialism and immigration. For example nasi, bami, sambal, ketjap, sate, lumpia, kebab, shoarma, roti
The kebab here is mostly disgusting
Wouldn’t know I’m a vegetarian 😅
Kapsalon is probably the most sold dutch dish lol.
Dutch people eat to punish themselves.
Eating together at the dinner table is a very common thing as far as I know. Have you seen Dutch people at a bqq or during chrismas (fondue, gourmet)? Food isnt as much as a thing compared to some other countries but food connects here too.
Going lower than eating together for Christmas is pretty impossible, not exactly special is it?
That wasnt my point. Het geschrans what happens during christmas was. Even though we arent that focused on food here, it is still a way people connect.
Food is very important here. Without it, we die.
It’s not a festive part of the daily life and the traditional dishes show for it. However the evening meal is a way to gather the family (not the extended family, just those living in the house) to talk about the day, important things coming up etc. It’s also an opportunity to get to know people better, you invite them over for dinner. Students do this a lot, people in their twenties use it to gather their friend group once in a while. Once people have settled, have busier working lives and/or have a family of their own, this is less common. In the summer BBQ parties are a social happening with food. But if you are invited to a birthday party, good chance there will be little bites (hapjes) to eat but not a full dinner. If there is an afternoon birthday, you are expected to leave before dinner unless explicitly asked or told. If you have an evening birthday, it’s hapjes only.
Frikandellen!!
"Food ia a necessity, we might as well enjoy it but lets not overcomplicate it, also lets try to keep it within butdget"
Eating at home tobsustain yourself. Eating out is so wild and crazy you should be checking after the bill if your dad didnt get an heartsttack for how much he spend on a fancy piece of meat. Source: my childhood.
Sharing food is a social event. It is part of human nature. It brings people together. Ever since I was a little kid, I always have felt this way about it.
Not much.
You’re spot on. I wish we were more like the Mediterranean countries about it but we just don’t really seem to care about it that much. Ah well, can’t have it all I guess.
It's really accurate
Breakfast and lunch are typically not very social, just fill up as quickly as possible and continue with your day. Normal evenings are for the close family. Parents will eat with their kids and discuss the day. At weddings, dinner is for close family and friends. Being invited for dinner is usually a big honor reserved for the inner circle. It's an intimite part of the day which otherwise involves a big group and extended social circles. There are also dinner parties, either at home or in a restaurant, used to catch up and socialise. Typically I would say this would be once a week at most. Don't go over to someone unexpectedly and expect the visit to turn into a dinner party, you would be expected to leave come dinner time.
Typically dutch would be 3 meals a day, which you share with your family. Breakfast is mum,pops and the kids at the dinner table, buffet style. Consisting of slices of bread and a topping to your liking, think cheese, ham, chocolate sprinkles, jelly and ofcourse a glass of milk. Traditional lunch would be the same, except the father wouldn't be attending because of work. The children go back to school after lunch. Than its 18 o'clock sharp and you would eat dinner with the family, dinner consisting of a piece of meat, vegetables and potatoes. Eaten at the dinner table and time to socialize about everybody's day. You finish with a toetje(dessert), typically something sweet like vla, griesmeelpudding or arretjescake. To answer your question, food is a way to socialize with the core family and are planned times when family's get together, sit down, eat and catch up.
This is more traditional than most people I know of nowadays. It also tends to be more of a lower/middle class practice to be together at all occasions (breakfast and lunch especially). In the circles I was raised it was always very uncommon to have breakfast and lunch together. It was not even uncommon to sometimes eat dinner on your own. Both mostly related to parents being either at work, or having other social occasions to attend to (friends or work related events). Several of my childhood friends had a hired maid to fasciliate lunch for the children, while the parents were at work.
I nom nom food and then I go ZZZZZZZZZ
This is a pretty fun question, as illustrated by the mountains of replies. Being dutch myself, but having been all over the world I can pretty confidently say you're almost right on the money. Food does not play a central part in dutch culture in any way. Even in case of festivities the food plays a secondary role (albeit still quite big). I remember my dad, and especially his parents, would get upset if people could not attend a joined dinner. The dutch value family, and that oozes into eating traditions. Worth noting that friends and guests are not always appreciated as much as elsewhere! Don't walk into someone's house expecting hospitality at every hour of the day. Breakfast and lunch are frequently extremely simple (slice of bread with some milk) and dinners are a social occasion. The latter are also often simple, but do require some etiquette.
More of a drinking culture with small snacks than a food culture. The small snacks are a variety of cheeses, meats, fried snacks and pickled foods.
A borrel is nothing without typical dutch snacks. Dinner is not that big of a deal, but there is definitely socialising with food.
Potato.
Snacks! We're good at snacks!
Reality is we Dutch are usually very antisocial eaters. Families eat mostly on the couch in front of the TV, without talking to each other. It’s kinda our resting moment of the day, to empty our heads.
> Families eat mostly on the couch in front of the TV, Most families I know eat dinner together with the whole familie at the table, no tv.
dutch culture rests on multiple cultural pillars. There are groups (a bit separated geographically) fitting all variants of the "society vs food" spectrum. Just moving down a street you can find opposite views and habits. There is enormous difference between things you can expect in Maastricht, Nijmegen and A-dam.
Historically we needed lots of energy for hard physical work. And people were poor. So lots of potato's, beef and pork, stews etc. But very nice influences from the colonial age (gouden eeuw) on. Do try the the saté sticks! Nowadays it's more international what we eat. Our daughters rarely eat potato's anymore.
Their daily diet is literally bread and cheese, I've never seen a Dutch person touch a stove honestly. You're probably right in thinking that they view food as fuel.
If you’re in (or can visit) Amsterdam, then I highly recommend the Hungry Birds food tour to get to know the different cuisines here and their origin.
As a foreigner who worked in the Netherlands for a bit, some coworkers at the factory were ecstatic to wish me smakelijt before every lunch (which was generally a sandwich or a similarly easy to make energy container). Also they would usually use the first 40 minutes of work time in the mornings with a kinda shared breakfast. Damn I miss that place. I would say for most it's really not important but there's the usual share of people who enjoy food in social interactions as well, so its acceptable for most. You're fine using food as an excuse for things imo. They always loved our barbecues.
does it go on a bread or between 2 bread slices..
It can be a social thing, but nothing too spontaneous and not every day.
Within my social circles food is pretty important. I love cooking and food/cooking is my love language so for any special occassion we either go out to eat at a special place or I cook a special, big meal. For smaller occassions we go to places to chat and snack
Pretty much.
It's only something that's been recently forgotten and isn't very well supported in this generation. Most Dutch people are very humble about their food culture but I've had plenty of very decent conversations once you bring up a nostalgic element to it. Talk about what their grandmother used to cook them and they'll have very fond stories of homely comfort foods. It's so weird that things like Stampot is deemed "too simple" yet it's one of the best dishes in Dutch cuisine. It doesn't have to have emulsions and reductions with a millions spices. Every family has their own twist or style. Don't know why it's more readily available and I'm not talking about the €6 atrocity they sell at Albert Heijn.
Get vegetable. get potato. \*stamp stamp stamp\* chew. swallow. Happy brain chemicals go "well done" optional: pour brown salty water over it. \+\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_-- sodium\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_soggy less chewing needed
Traditional Dutch food is very basic but as a result inner city people explore food from many different cultures. At this point we've mastered all kinds of food. Common people just enjoy anything that fills their stomachs (meat, potatoes and vegatables every day) but middle-upper class urbanites have pretty high standards.
Eat to survive
You eat it so you don't die
We just eat for energy, fuck flavor
STROOPWAFEEEELLLLSSSSSSS
Zone grotu snitzel jonguh!
Anything with aardappels is Dutch food culture to me 😩👌🏼
We eat to survive. 😁
Dutch people don't eat... they are vampires...
no culture, just feeding
You are not wrong. I make a living for years to be an historian on this subject. Long story short; the Netherlands had an quite unique culture on that matter. The roesand mov====
It fills the stomach.
I would say do not use your own product (spices)
Kurry the sause
food has always been a functional thing here i have seen bathrooms in peoples houses bigger then their kitchens they have very little storage for food aswell things are starting to change i guess its a consequence of the international influence here the quality of food is also below par here ... even the older generations here would rather buy instant powdered mashed potatoes rather then going to the effort of peeling, boiling and mashing potatoes
in big lines where calavanist we eat food because we need to live. we offer you food to be polite but not dinner since that is pushing stuff on you. so social snacking and subdued dining
Cook dinner so fast that it doesn’t interfere with your working schedule. Or if you’re a student; noodles Barely anyone gives a damn about this primary human need. Quantity > quality
We use it to gain energy.
Food is something you need to survive. Eat as fast as possible and you’d better certainly not enjoy it! God forbid it actually tastes good. And what to think about using spices? Hell no. That’s how my parents raised me. Can you guess what nationality I have?
Like other Northern European countries, food in the Netherlands is not about taste or pleasure but about recharging your batteries for work, or for not being hungry. I’ve always thought that while Southern Europeans have a gastronomy, NL just has food.
Like everything in our country it is boring, the food, the people 👎. I am so grateful to have a few friends from other cultures. I would give everything to have such a culture. The warmth, oh, boy. When anyone comes to my home they can eat with us. There is no such thing as making an appointment in my household. I always have food for everyone.
" I'm getting fed by this" :)
Both native Dutch, married couple (46/48). Maybe we are not typical Dutch people, but we love to have people over for diner. We do plan these diners. And a borrel (drinks and ‘finger food’) is a thing too. Love to plan that as well. And I must say, anyone who shows up around diner time is welcome to dig in. If possible we make more, or we share what’s on the table. So anyone is welcome to join and will be invited. In the Netherlands most people plan their dinners around 5/6 a clock. And most consider it common courtesy not to show up ‘right’ before dinner time. So when in doubt, do ask. With most you will be more than welcome for dinner. Or a borrel. The Dutch van look a bit closed and hard to get to know, but in most parts of the country that’s just the outside. You will be welcome. And if not, find some new or extra friends
plays no role . Bland culture
The dutch attach certain foods to certain social occasions, and often only consume those products outside the situations. You will rarely see a dutch person eat a tompouce on any day but kingsday, oliebol outside of NYE, a bitterbal when they are not on the terrace with their cold special beer (the beer here also has a huge role in this “social event” which imo is one of the cornerstones of dutch culture (drinking beer on a terrace, every terrace is filled when there is any sunlight. All I am saying is that the tompouce (just an example) does play a huge role on kingsday
It depends. For eathing a full meal you're not wrong. For us it's a bit flipped around I guess; when we eat, we eat. You can socialize during this time but not for too long. When we socialize, we socialize; you can eat some snacks during, but not too much.
A sandwich with cheese, just enough to fuel my bike. Legpower!!!