THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE, The Wonders Of Local Cuisine

Hi, my name’s Scott, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to the wonderful flavors of Amsterdam.

The city’s cuisine is heavily influenced by its colonial past, so don’t be too surprised to find that the Dutch love dishes from Indonesia, Suriname and the Antilles, so much so that they often cook them at home. In Amsterdam, you’ll find plenty of restaurants that serve specialties from these countries.

Traditional Dutch cooking, meanwhile, consists of hearty meat and fish dishes served with potatoes and salad, with soup usually served as a first course.

Starters are not part of the Dutch tradition, but in restaurants you’ll be brought bread and delicious butter to eat while you’re waiting for your meal.

Some of the more common soups are Erwtensoep, or Snert, made with peas, and Bruine Bonensoep, made with dark beans; ham and sausage are added to both. Another one you might like to try is Humkessoep, made with potatoes, green beans and butter beans.

Main courses include Hutspot, made with mashed carrots and potatoes and served with braised beef known as Klapstuk; Stamppot, made with mashed potatoes and vegetables and accompanied by meatballs, or a smoked sausage called Rookworst.

Sausages are very popular. You can try the very spicy Frikandel, prepared with the leftover parts of the pig, or the pork liver sausage Leverworst, which comes in both a hard or softer, spreadable version....