•  (Log in / Register)
  • Contact Us
    clear
    Fast search
    • Living
    • Working
    • Studying
    • Business
    • About Us
    • Service providers
    Categories in: Living
    • Dutch Customs and Culture
    • Language Classes
    • Legal Matters
    • Ukraine
    • Leisure
    • Childcare
    • Pets
    • Living Expenses
    • Taxes, Benefits, and Social security
    • Banking & Finance
    • Checklist: Moving to the North
    • Municipal Services
    • Private Vehicle
    • Permits, Registration and Dutch Citizenship
    • Public Transportation
    • Housing
    • Healthcare
    Categories in: Working
    • Work Permits
    • Volunteering
    • Finding a Job
    • Unemployment
    • Leave Schemes
    • Pensions
    • Employment Contracts
    • Work Hours and Conditions
    • Dutch Income Tax System
    Categories in: Studying
    • Working While Studying
    • Job Opportunities after Graduation
    • International Students
    • Dutch Education System
    Categories in: Business
    • Leading Business Sectors
    • Advice and Networking Organisations
    • Hiring Non-EU Employees
    • Sources of Financing
    • Moving a Business
    • Starting a Business
    Categories in: About Us
    • Knowledge Bank
    • Founders and Supporters
    • Our Teams
    • For Press
    • Facts and Figures
    • IWCN News
    • Our History
    • Honorary Consuls
    • Living
      • Living
      • Checklist moving to the Netherlands
      • Housing
      • Living Expenses
      • Permits, Registration and Dutch Citizenship
      • Municipal Services
      • Banking & Finance
      • Healthcare
      • Childcare
      • Taxes, Benefits, and Social Security
      • Private Vehicle
      • Public Transportation
      • Pets
      • Legal Matters
      • Dutch Customs and Culture
      • Language Classes
      • Leisure
      • Information for Ukrainian refugees
    • Working
      • Working
      • Finding a Job
      • Work Hours and Conditions
      • Employment Contracts
      • Dutch Income Tax System
      • Leave Schemes
      • Unemployment
      • Pensions
      • Volunteering
    • Studying
      • Studying
      • Dutch Education System
      • International Students
      • Working While Studying
      • Job Opportunities After Graduation
    • For Businesses
      • For Businesses
      • Leading Business Sectors
      • Starting a Business
      • Moving a Business
      • Hiring Non-EU Employees
      • Non-EU Entrepreneurs
      • Friendship and Trade Treaties
      • Sources of Financing
      • Advice and Networking Organisations
    • Service Providers
    • Our Services
      • Our Services
      • Formalities Services
      • Integration Programs
      • Information and Events
      • Memberships
      • Personal Advice Package
      • Honorary Consuls
      • Service Provider Program
      • Welcome Guide
      • About Us
    Events
    • Events
    Home
    Living
    Dutch Customs and Culture
    Culinary Customs

    Dutch Customs and Culture

  • Culinary Customs
  • Handy Dutch Phrases
  • Life Events
  • Religion
  • Dutch Public Holidays
  • Culinary Customs

    In general, the Dutch have three meals a day. In the past, they had meat, vegetables, and potatoes for dinner, but nowadays they are influenced by other culinary tastes. This is also reflected in the variety of restaurants. Lunch often consists of bread and cheese or light spread.

    Dutch Food

    A very traditional dinner dish is stamppot – the name for several variations of a winter dish with mashed potatoes and vegetables, such as hutspot with carrots and onions, boerenkool with green kale, or zuurkool with sauerkraut.

    Erwtensoep or snert (two different types of pea soup) are well known and traditionally eaten after ice skating or working hard in the cold. And Dutch fries (patat) are also well-known and eaten with a sweet mayonaise sauce (patat met mayo).

    The Dutch do not only eat a lot of cheese (on bread), but it is also a substantial export product. Another typical bread topping is hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles) that is not only eaten by children but by adults as well. A surprisingly wide variety of hagelslag is available in the supermarket.

    Some other typical foods include:

    • Haring: raw herring; it’s seasonal and the first barrel in June is auctioned for charity. You eat them by hand with raw onion at stands on the street or at the fish shop.
    • Poffertjes: mini pancakes. You can buy them at special stalls, and they are served with butter and icing sugar.
    • Drop: Licorice
    • Stroopwafel: Waffle cookies with a syrup or caramel middle

    There are also vending machines built into the walls of snack bars where you can purchase a snack (kroketten, frikandellen, etc.) without a shop assistant. They call it “eten uit de muur” (eating from the wall).

     

    Drinks

    The Dutch usually don’t socialize with their colleagues and will keep work and private life separate. They don’t like working late or coming in over the weekend as they like to keep this their personal time. They might go for drinks after work (borrel) but tend to go home after 1.5 hours for dinner. In the past, the drinks took place at a “bruin café” where they serve Dutch and Belgian beer, wine and spirits such as Dutch jenever, and of course soft drinks. Nowadays, there is a wide variety of places to go for a borrel. No meals are served, but snacks like “bitterballen” and cubes of cheese may be ordered.

    When the first rays of sunshine appear after wintertime, you will find a lot of people on terraces outside, although the temperature might still be low.

    Visiting address:
    Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, 9711 HL, Groningen

    Postal address:
    Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, 9711 HL, Groningen

    Contact:
    From outside the NL: +31 50 367 7197; from within the NL: 050 367 7197
    • About Us
      • Our Services
      • Our Teams
      • Our History
      • Honorary Consuls
      • Founders and Supporters
    • Contact Us
      • Service Providers
      • Sign Up to Our Newsletter
    2025 IWCN All right reserved.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer