Tag Archives: food
Curious Dutch Words: Why is a boterham called a boterham? Posted by Sten on Oct 29, 2021
You wake up in the morning, take a shower, and then it’s time for breakfast. As a good Dutch person, you’ll have een kopje koffie (a cup of coffee) and, of course, een boterham (a slice of bread). But here’s the weird thing: de boterham means “the butter ham”. Yeah, really. But why? Previous posts in this series: Curious Words…
What’s Dutch About The Dutch Oven? Posted by Sten on Oct 2, 2020
While many of the “Dutch” terms that I’ve discussed here on the blog are entirely unrelated to the Dutch, today we have one that actually is! The braadpan (frying pan) made of gietijzer (cast iron) was a Dutch invention that made its way into the early North American colonies. Especially on the trails westwards, it was a popular cooking…
Untranslatable Dutch: AVG’tje Posted by Sten on Feb 7, 2020
Back with an untranslatable Dutch word! Today we’re actually looking at an abbreviation – AVG‘tje. No, that’s not a cute version of the algemene verordening gegevensbescherming, the EU GDPR legislation that was all over the internet last year, it’s something delicious. So let’s go and take a bite out of it, shall we! Click here for more…
Curious Words in Dutch 5: Eekhoorntjesbrood Posted by Sten on Nov 7, 2019
Yesterday, Karoly wrote about paddestoelenseizoen (mushroom season) in the Netherlands. A wonderful time of the year, with some delicious recepten (recipes) and maaltijden (dishes). And while mushrooms have some weird names like hanekam (literally “cockscomb”, chanterelle mushrooms), oesterzwam (oyster mushroom) or hoorn van overvloed (horn of abundance), there is one that is really quite curious: Eekhoorntjesbrood! Previous posts in this series: Curious Words In…
An Unusual Dutch Easter Tradition: Matzes Posted by Sten on Apr 21, 2019
It is Pasen (Easter)! On Easter Sunday, the Dutch have a few traditions they follow, and one that I am highlighting today are a very popular food item: matzes! Why Do The Dutch Eat Unleavened Flat Bread during Easter? During the Paasontbijt (Easter breakfast), which is usually quite extensive, the Dutch eat these flat crackers a lot…
How to navigate a Dutch supermarket Posted by Sten on Aug 31, 2018
Even though you are in a country with a different language, you still need to eat. And preferably have good food. One of the most frustrating experiences can be to walk around in a supermarkt (grocery store; supermarket). Different produkten (products) than you are used to, different merken (brands), ketens (brands) and – of course – a different taal (language). Also in the…
How Do The Dutch Wish an Enjoyable Meal? Posted by Sten on Jul 24, 2018
In English, one might simply wish “enjoy your meal”, in German, we say guten Appetit, and the French made the famous bon appetit. But what do the Dutch say? Do they have their own version of appetit? Let’s find out Eet smakelijk? A very common phrase in Dutch is eet smakelijk (eat tastefully) to wish somebody an enjoyable meal…