The Dutch culinary tradition is ‘stubbornly delicious’
Dutch Feast looks at the diversity of an underrated culinary tradition
With historic canals, impressive museums and hazy coffeeshops vying for visitors’ attention, food isn’t typically at the top of the list of reasons to travel to the Dutch capital.
If you stick to touristy areas of Amsterdam, your food experiences are likely to be limited to thick-cut French fries dipped in mayonnaise, plate-sized pannenkoeken (thin pancakes) or cheese-stuffed broodjes (sandwiches).
All thoroughly enjoyable foods to be sure, but as author Emily Wight illustrates in her second cookbook, Dutch Feast ( Arsenal Pulp Press, 2017 ), there’s so much more to this “wholesome, economical and stubbornly delicious” cuisine.
Wight says that while the perception of British cuisine has changed drastically over the past decade, attitudes towards Dutch cuisine are still mired in similar misconceptions.
“A lot of what we used to make fun of about British food is the kind of thing that people still say about Dutch food. That it’s mushy and there are a lot of boiled veggies and that kind of thing,” she says. “There’s a lot of variety and a lot of nuance there that ( people aren’t) necessarily picking up on.”
Wight’s appreciation for Dutch cuisine began when she married into a Dutch family. The Vancouver home cook is now a staunch defender of its diverse delights. The 120 recipes in Dutch Feast include traditional dishes, modernizations and adaptations that make good use of Dutch pantry items: “Practicality first, always.”
She explains that it was important for her to highlight unique foods, such as mosterd-soep ( mustard soup). And to showcase colonial influences by including recipes such as pom (Surinamese chicken casserole), keeshi yena ( Aruban and Curaçaoan meat-stuffed cheese), nasi goreng (Indonesian “fried rice”) and the elaborate rijsttafel ( Indo-Dutch “rice table”).
“When we think about cultures generally, we lose a lot … ( Through reading the book) I hope that people have a new excitement for travelling there, exploring some of the cities outside of Amsterdam and trying some of the cuisine.
“Also, I’m basically on a mission to get people to eat more cheese and sugar … so here’s a great way to do that,” Wight adds with a laugh.