I like supermarkets. Foreign ones by preference but pretty much any supermarket located in a state or region far from the one where I live holds that special power to make me want to run in and peruse the shelves for products I have never seen before and/or do not know how to use.
Although none of the below items happen to be foreign to me (having been born in the country of windmills and tulips), here are 10 things that you can find in pretty much any Dutch supermarket and that are easily transportable to boot.
1. Hagelslag: these are chocolate sprinkles that the Dutch use as a topping for bread-preferably for breakfast. They taste best on soft white bread but coating brown bread with a sprinkley layer is also acceptable. In fact, Dutch parents often serve the latter to their kids in a health conscious effort. The sprinkles come in a variety of flavors; the classic dark or milk chocolate, but over the past few years the sprinkle makers have come out with a more sophisticated line of adult sprinkles such as mocca, white and extra dark. A pack will cost you about 2 Euro.
2. Appelstroop: this is a thick, sweet, tangy jam like spread made of apples, sugar beet juice, lemon and pectin. It is delicious on bread/toast, pancakes and according to some, on cheese as well. All of that for about 1.25 Euro.
3. Bokkepootjes: “(billy) goats feet” literally translated. But no worries, no goats were harmed in the process. These are crunchy soft meringue cookies, filled with a mocca or vanilla cream and sprinkled with sliced almonds. They have the shape of goats feet-well…sort of. The ends of these yummy biscuits are dipped in chocolate. They will set you back about 1 Euro.
4. Smeerkaas: this is a spreadable, very creamy, yellow cheese. If you are thinking cream cheese, think again-this is entirely different. It is made of melted cheese and comes in a variety of flavors. It is very tasty on bread (especially dark multi grain bread) and is an easy cheese to take along on a picknick. A little tub will cost you about 1.70 Euro.
5. Krentenbollen: these are very soft chewy raisin rolls. A great snack for kids and adults alike, they can be eaten plain, with butter, cheese or with pretty much any other topic of your liking. You can buy them individually from almost any bakery or in a 6 pack from the supermarket for about 1.25 Euro.
6. Nasimix: this is a packaged dried vegetable and spice mix to make “nasi”, a fried rice dish the origins of which hail from Indonesia. 1 Euro should easily buy you a packet.
7. Sambal: chili paste that comes in varying degrees of spicyness and composition. There are many different kinds of sambal. The ones that are most common in the Netherlands are Sambal Oelek and Sambal Badjak. The Oelek is a thin red spicy sambal. Sambal Badjak has been fried and has a full, somewhat sweet, aromatic flavor. Traditionally, the Dutch eat sambal with rijsttafel (a wonderful spread of small Indonesian dishes) and nasi but it has a myriad of uses including, in marinades, sauces and soups and on grilled cheese sandwiches. A jar will cost between 1 and 3 Euro.
8. Dropjes: otherwise known as licorice. The Dutch are allegedly the world’s biggest licorice eaters. Kilos of it are bought by locals of all ages and many varieties exist. The salty licorice is a favorite including: “zoute munten”, “kattekoppen” and “salmiak”. The sweet “kokindjes” and "honing dropjes" are somewhat easier on the foreign palate. A small bag will likely cost under 2 Euro.
9. Zwitsal crème: it is probably safe to say that any Dutch person can recognize this smell instantly. Originally meant for babies, plenty of adults still use the soothing cream. The company has a whole range of products including shampoo, baby powder and soap. The creme comes in a sunny yellow tub with the signature baby face logo and will cost about 3 Euro.
10. Wokkels: chips yes, but glorious ones. They come in plain (“naturel”) and paprika (my favorite). These curly crunchers have lots of taste and generations of Dutch people have grown up on these while watching Wednesday afternoon television. Wednesday afternoons Dutch kids are off school so these chips have a distinctive festive quality. They cost about 1 Euro per bag.
1. Hagelslag: these are chocolate sprinkles that the Dutch use as a topping for bread-preferably for breakfast. They taste best on soft white bread but coating brown bread with a sprinkley layer is also acceptable. In fact, Dutch parents often serve the latter to their kids in a health conscious effort. The sprinkles come in a variety of flavors; the classic dark or milk chocolate, but over the past few years the sprinkle makers have come out with a more sophisticated line of adult sprinkles such as mocca, white and extra dark. A pack will cost you about 2 Euro.
2. Appelstroop: this is a thick, sweet, tangy jam like spread made of apples, sugar beet juice, lemon and pectin. It is delicious on bread/toast, pancakes and according to some, on cheese as well. All of that for about 1.25 Euro.
3. Bokkepootjes: “(billy) goats feet” literally translated. But no worries, no goats were harmed in the process. These are crunchy soft meringue cookies, filled with a mocca or vanilla cream and sprinkled with sliced almonds. They have the shape of goats feet-well…sort of. The ends of these yummy biscuits are dipped in chocolate. They will set you back about 1 Euro.
4. Smeerkaas: this is a spreadable, very creamy, yellow cheese. If you are thinking cream cheese, think again-this is entirely different. It is made of melted cheese and comes in a variety of flavors. It is very tasty on bread (especially dark multi grain bread) and is an easy cheese to take along on a picknick. A little tub will cost you about 1.70 Euro.
5. Krentenbollen: these are very soft chewy raisin rolls. A great snack for kids and adults alike, they can be eaten plain, with butter, cheese or with pretty much any other topic of your liking. You can buy them individually from almost any bakery or in a 6 pack from the supermarket for about 1.25 Euro.
6. Nasimix: this is a packaged dried vegetable and spice mix to make “nasi”, a fried rice dish the origins of which hail from Indonesia. 1 Euro should easily buy you a packet.
7. Sambal: chili paste that comes in varying degrees of spicyness and composition. There are many different kinds of sambal. The ones that are most common in the Netherlands are Sambal Oelek and Sambal Badjak. The Oelek is a thin red spicy sambal. Sambal Badjak has been fried and has a full, somewhat sweet, aromatic flavor. Traditionally, the Dutch eat sambal with rijsttafel (a wonderful spread of small Indonesian dishes) and nasi but it has a myriad of uses including, in marinades, sauces and soups and on grilled cheese sandwiches. A jar will cost between 1 and 3 Euro.
8. Dropjes: otherwise known as licorice. The Dutch are allegedly the world’s biggest licorice eaters. Kilos of it are bought by locals of all ages and many varieties exist. The salty licorice is a favorite including: “zoute munten”, “kattekoppen” and “salmiak”. The sweet “kokindjes” and "honing dropjes" are somewhat easier on the foreign palate. A small bag will likely cost under 2 Euro.
9. Zwitsal crème: it is probably safe to say that any Dutch person can recognize this smell instantly. Originally meant for babies, plenty of adults still use the soothing cream. The company has a whole range of products including shampoo, baby powder and soap. The creme comes in a sunny yellow tub with the signature baby face logo and will cost about 3 Euro.
10. Wokkels: chips yes, but glorious ones. They come in plain (“naturel”) and paprika (my favorite). These curly crunchers have lots of taste and generations of Dutch people have grown up on these while watching Wednesday afternoon television. Wednesday afternoons Dutch kids are off school so these chips have a distinctive festive quality. They cost about 1 Euro per bag.
No comments:
Post a Comment