Let’s go out to eat!
One expatriate’s view of life in the Dutch kitchen - don’t take it too seriously
When you decide to go out to dinner in Holland...
Do try some of the local delicacies, but don’t expect anything to be very spicy. The Dutch East India company bought and transported spices for centuries, but apparently never brought them to Holland. In fact, garlic is used more often here for repelling vampires than it is in Dutch cooking.
Don’t expect Italian restaurants in Amsterdam to serve food that tastes Italian. If you look in the kitchen in most of these places, you’ll find a bunch of Turkish guys trying to make Italian food taste like Dutch food. This procedure will include putting large chunks of carrots in your marinara sauce. In Holland, carrots are also a spice, apparently. I’ve been to at least fifteen Italian restaurants in Amsterdam, and have only found one where the food was prepared by Italians. I won’t tell you where it is, though, as they are probably doing something illegal.
Do expect potatoes to be served with anything you order anywhere. Even in the “Italian” places. I’ve ordered spaghetti bolognaise on more than one occasion, and had it served to me with a side of potatoes. I’ve even had a dinner that included large boiled potatoes as part of the entrecōte, and it came with a side of french fries! Did i mention the Dutch like potatoes? They do.
Don’t expect to find a spicy salad dressing anywhere near a Dutch restaurant. The Dutch have four basic salad dressings: mayonnaise, mayonnaise with water, mayonnaise with little flavorless flecks in it, and mayonnaise. Even Dutch pepper is almost without flavor. They generally use white pepper, which is very finely ground, and tastes like sawdust. I believe it’s made from small pieces of plywood, but don't quote me.
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