It is not entirely true that we don’t appreciate the Dutch kitchen. The main staple in most households still is meat, potatoes, veggies and gravy. Dinner also has a social function as the entire family is gathered at the dining table, no TV dinners. The only difference is that when I was young you were not allowed to speak during dinner time and you always had to clean your plate. Also your mother filled the plate with an amount that she thought was right for you. That didn’t always match with your appetite especially for some vegetables.
Famous is our Erwtensoep, a green pea soup with smoked sausage. It is heavy stuff so normally this is only eaten during winter time. However, on board we got it in the tropics but that didn’t matter because we loved it. The Dutch are called the Chinese of Europe because you can find then anywhere over the world, small or big towns. Sometimes those expats came looking at the ship. It often happened that they asked us whether we had erwtensoep. When the captain was in a good mood he invited them for the next day for an erwtensoep party. The leftovers went ashore afterwards…
Another speciality is Captain’s dinner a festive dish based on capuchins served hundreds of years ago on the sailing ships of the VOC. Here is a link with a recipe but beware it is a poor imitation!
And not to forget our potatoes stew. We mash boiled potatoes with all kind of mostly raw vegetables, endives, spinach, rucola, kale (precooked), carrots and onions and sauerkraut, naming a few.
And then of course our love for our raw herring, especially when they are ‘new’ in May, June and July.
Our ‘broodjes’ are pretty good. But have you tried our 'saucijzenbroodles, 'worstenbroodjes, ‘broodjes frikandel’ and others? Famous are also our ‘kroketten’ and ‘bitterballen’. I have to stop now I am getting very hungry suddenly.
Pannenkoeken are very popular here also. In a number of harbors is a pannenkoekenboot, yes in Dutch we glue all those words to one! This is the boat in Rotterdam. During a harbor sightseeing tour pancakes are served, as many as you like.
Now I am hungry. Gotta at least do Nathans hot dogs and some leftover crab dip from my son’s get together with his former KP football guys yesterday. Domer and Beer Captain missed a good BBQ on the beach. I am sure they were all in flip flops and boaters.
I only wrestled for 2 years and football for three. I didn’t make the invite list either. Those guys are tight. Son just called and asked me to keep his dogs for a bit longer, he was golfing with his fellow local opposing FB coaches. Please don’t throw me in the briar patch son. Love those friggin dogs, I think perhaps I fooled him keeping the zoo in my backyard for a bit longer.
On tankers we had a menu card for each meal including breakfast. In Durban a couple of our cadets brought back a couple of cadets from Bank Line, a Scottish tramping company with a well deserved reputation for being more than economical with the feeding rate. The two cadets started with the date and moved steadily through the breakfast menu.
I don’t want to tip my hand, but once I invade with MY pannenkoekenboot, dump all your nasty blackstrap into the canals, and show you that you’ve been doing it wrong for centuries, you will make me your queen. Then you’ll all gonna get cleaned up for dinner, put proper syrup on yer panakooken, and curtsy on yer way out.
Dutchwise I’ll up the ante with oujmiter (sp?) as an alternate to pannenkieken as long as it’s blessed with that yonder sweet syrup. Sorry, no curtsies for self proclaimed wannabe queens.
Pity. I suppose we shall have to find someone else worthy to command the Her Majesty’s Syrup Tanker Fleet… We are most saddened by your views on the monarchy, Lord Shore.
Yes, another Dutch specialty, a so called uitsmijter. It is written literally as an out-thrower. The official English translation is ‘bouncer’. I searched for the word in the Dutch etymology bank but there is confusion as to the origin of that word.
Three possibilities are given of which the third one in my opinion is the most likely one: Ordering an ‘uitsmijter’ just before closing time of the pub, just before being thrown out. Add to this that it is pure pub and hangover food. For the latter baked bacon is also added.
The word ‘uitsmijter’ referring to this egg dish was first mentioned in the literature in 1899. The real deal is a large plate with three or four buttered slices of preferably sourdough bread covered with ham, cheese and three or four fried eggs. The warm eggs melts the cheese a little bit which adds to the joy of the food. A little salad with tomato and sliced cornichons on the side is always added.
Wait, I didn’t know there was an offer to command Her Majesty’s syrup tanker on the table here… I can speak Canadian! “Oot and aboot,” “how aboot those Leafs, eh?” “Tabernac!!”
I like the nod to the food police with the tomato’s and greens . We have a food supplement here in our newspaper that has been taken of by zealots and is now all vegan with an occasional salmon or chicken dish.
Here the concentration was on ordering more beer. Once thrown out one repaired to the greasy spoon or pie cart down the road. A pie was questionable meat enclosed in pastry sometimes topped with potato and mushy peas designed to slide down ones shirt front.
We should like to point out that Her Majesty’s Admiral will not command the fleet on the table. Our syrup tankers are not to be made from china to match the dinnerware. Further more, this is to be a diplomatic mission. The conquest of the Dutch people will be sweet and subtle, like our cargo. We find your candidacy unsuitable Mister Jabatama-ninety-and-nine. Tabarnac, indeed.
syrup on yer panakooken, and curtsy on yer way out.
