{"id":5780,"date":"2019-08-05T11:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=5780"},"modified":"2019-07-21T18:58:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T18:58:31","slug":"why-the-dutch-are-obsessed-with-koffie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/why-the-dutch-are-obsessed-with-koffie\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Dutch Are Obsessed With Koffie"},"content":{"rendered":"

The British have their\u00a0thee\u00a0<\/em>(tea), the Germans have their\u00a0bier\u00a0<\/em>(beer) and the French have their\u00a0wijn\u00a0<\/em>(wine). And the Dutch? The Dutch, they have their\u00a0koffie\u00a0<\/em>(coffee). With an average of about 4 cups a day, the Dutch are one of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world.<\/p>\n

4 Cups a day<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Even the police helps out getting koffie<\/em>! (Image by Jos @ FPS-Groningen at Flickr.com under license CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Yes, an average of 4 cups a day. At least, that is what a Dutch ministerie <\/i>(ministry)<\/a> found in 2017. Another source says it’s closer to 2.5 cups a day<\/a>. And even other sources claim that the Dutch do not drink most coffee per day in the world, but that this top spot is held by the Finnish, the Swedish and the Danish.<\/a> The numbers are a bit confusing, because they are measured differently. The Dutch ministerie <\/em>based its numbers on a survey where people were asked what they consumed in the previous 24 hours. Other numbers are calculated from sales of coffee in the Netherlands. So it’s not that easy to put a specific number on it. However, what’s clear is that the Dutch are in the top 5 in the world, and koffie\u00a0<\/em>is part and parcel of life in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

So. The Dutch drink a lot of coffee. But why<\/span> do the Dutch drink koffie\u00a0<\/em>like their life depends on it?<\/p>\n

Overal Verkrijgbaar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, also that is hard to say. One thing that definitely helps is that it is overal verkrijgbaar <\/em>(available everywhere). You can get koffie\u00a0<\/em>everywhere. And while it is not very cheap in restaurants or\u00a0koffiezaken\u00a0<\/em>(coffee shops), you can get a cup or two for free at work or if you visit somebody (you will most likely get offered a cup). Also some supermarkets have a\u00a0koffieautomaat\u00a0<\/em>(coffee machine) where you can drink some free\u00a0koffie\u00a0<\/em>while you’re doing your groceries!<\/p>\n

Lekker warm<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another reason may be that the Netherlands, as well as the Scandinavian countries, are rather cold. A\u00a0drank\u00a0<\/em>(beverage) that is\u00a0lekker warm\u00a0<\/em>(nice and warm) helps fight that cold – while also keeping you awake.<\/p>\n

Koffiehandel<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Koffie\u00a0<\/em>became widespread in Europe in the 1500s and 1600s, and the Dutch managed to take a big\u00a0chunk of the international koffiehandel <\/em>(coffee trade). And so, the drink also became popular in the Netherlands. To this day, the Dutch are one of the largest re-exporters of\u00a0koffie\u00a0<\/em>in Europe. And that history may also explain why the Dutch are so into their\u00a0bakkie.<\/em><\/p>\n

Senseo<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n