Amsterdam, and the Netherlands in general, does not have a very rich culinary culture, perhaps due to its cold climate. Traditional dishes usually revolve around a triangle of meat, cabbage and potatoes. A piece of meat, of course it could be fish or chicken, with a side of cabbage and potatoes cooked in a different way every evening. However, immigrants from 185 different ethnic backgrounds live in Amsterdam, and the culinary culture these immigrants bring with them adds an incredible richness to the Netherlands. Dutch Cheeses are one of the typical, traditional Dutch delicacies that must be tasted. You will come across thousands of different types of cheese in street markets and cheese shops. You can make small tastings before buying and choose according to your taste. The most famous Dutch cheese is ‘Gouda’ and there are different varieties depending on the waiting time before consumption. ‘Jong’ ones are fresh, soft and smelling of milk and are called ‘belegen’, ‘extra belegen’, ‘oud’ and ‘overjarig’ respectively according to the degree of age. Of course, white colored goat cheeses are called ‘Geitenkaas’, smoked cheeses and in various forms. We should not forget the flavored spicy cheeses. The most preferred spicy cheeses are those with mustard seeds and cumin. Haring, traditionally known as Hollandse Nieuwe, is a typical Dutch delicacy. You can never go to the Netherlands and return without eating haring. Of course, you may change your mind when you hear what happened. Haring is a fish consumed frequently and in various ways in northern countries. In the Netherlands, it is eaten raw, with diced onion and gherkin slices. If eating raw fish this way seems too assertive to you, you can eat it in sandwich bread. If you don’t like it this way, you can also try ‘kibbeling’, which will suit the taste of every fish lover. While you can usually find it at fish stalls in markets, you can also find it in prefabricated, small fish shops established in Amsterdam. The first thing that will catch your eye at the door of the shop will be the poster of a girl in traditional Dutch dress trying to put the haring whole into her mouth from a distance. Because this is the way Haring eats here. Stamppot is the most famous and traditional Dutch dish. It is made by mixing mashed potatoes with cabbage called ‘boerenkool’, which tastes a bit like kale. Of course, a huge sausage is placed on top of the meal. Although it is very simple, it is a delicious dish. In some varieties, other vegetables are used instead of cabbage. In the Netherlands, if ‘oliebollen’ stands decorated with lights like stages have started to be set up on the streets, this indicates that winter and Christmas are approaching. If you come to Amsterdam during Christmas time, you can see oliebollen stands on the streets. So, you may ask, what is the Dutch flavor in this? It is the Turkish lokma. Yes, the plain one is just like a bite, but here it is eaten with powdered sugar sprinkled on it. The ones with apple and cream are more delicious. Poffertjes are tiny pancakes made on street stands, usually during the winter. It is eaten on a small paper plate, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and will fully satisfy your sweet tooth at the moment. It is one of the traditional Dutch delicacies eaten on the street. Bitterballen is another flavor of the country’s cuisine. They are small meatball croquettes that contain a mixture of thick mashed potatoes and meat on the inside, and are crispy fried on the outside, and you can eat them by dipping them in sauce (mostly mustard). It is a perfect Dutch snack that you can enjoy while sipping your beer. In Amsterdam, you can put aside the routine of frying potatoes with beer. Erwtensoep soup is a typical Dutch soup prepared in a very thick consistency and made mainly of peas, although it contains a few vegetables. Sausage slices are added to it and if you are drinking outside it can be served with small buttered bread and bacon or smoked meats. We can say that pumpkin soup, or Pompoensoep, is the second most famous soup in the Netherlands after ‘erwtensoep’. What you need to try is one of those soups we know, which luckily do not have sausage slices added to them. It is one of the few flavors that make the winter season bearable. Dropjes is the Dutch’s favorite candy. All Dutch people love these aniseed and very hard candies. Because of the anise, its taste is almost bitter, but there are also ones with a milder taste. If you are curious, you can find it in every market. Our recommendation is ‘Honing Drop’, that is, drops with honey. The Dutch love potatoes so much that even if you go to a fancy restaurant, you may be served french fries. Of course, the most enjoyable thing is to eat it on the street, in cone-shaped papers, with the sauce you want on top. There are many different sauce options such as peanut sauce satesaus, garlic sauce knoflookosaus, ketchup. The most popular is naturally mayonnaise. Mavimore Turizm is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307