舌尖上的荷兰

Foods of the Netherlands may not be as well—known as French or Chinese cuisines but there are many Dutch delights which must be tried at least once. Heres a list of Dutch foods you should be sure to sample.

Poffertjes

Poffertjes are small， fluffy pancakes made with yeast1 and buckwheat2 flour. These tasty treats are prepared using a special pan with several shallow indentations3 in the bottom to hold the batter4 and make perfectly puffed small pancakes. Poffertjes are typically served topped with powdered sugar and butter.

Poffertjes are traditionally consumed in fall and winter when stands selling the delicious snack can be found at outdoor markets and on many street corners. They are usually served on a little paper plate with a tiny fork for smearing5 the butter and stabbing the cakes to ferry into your mouth. The wind blowing the powdered sugar around covering your face and clothing in white dust is part of the fun！

Bitterballen

Bitterballen are deep—fried6 snacks that are ubiquitous in cafes and bars all over the Netherlands. These savory orbs are battered in a crunchy7 breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey8 mixture of chopped beef， beef broth， flour， butter， herbs and spices. They are typically served with mustard9 for dipping.

If youve never tasted bitterballen before， order them at a cafe as the perfect accompaniment to a round of beers. But be careful when you bite through the crunchy crust. The meaty ragout filling is often burning hot！

Stroopwafels

A delicious chewy cookie， the stroopwafel was first made in the town of Gouda in the Netherlands during the 18th century. In fact， until 1870 stroopwafels were made only in Gouda and there were about 100 bakeries selling these treats in that city alone.

This sweet snack is a waffle10 cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the middle. They can be purchased in packages at nearly every grocery store and bakery in the Netherlands， as well as freshly made at street stands at markets and festivals.

Stroopwafels are particularly good with a cup of coffee or tea. The cookies come in various sizes， but the most common diameter fits perfectly as a lid on a cup of hot liquid. This softens the cookie and melts the sweet syrup， making a delightful dessert or snack.

Koffie Verkeerd

Visit any cafe or restaurant in the Netherlands and you are sure to notice someone ordering a koffie verkeerd. This is the Dutch version of a caffè latte11 or café au lait12. It is traditionally a hot cup of coffee with a lot of warm milk， but is most commonly served as an espresso13 with a lot of steamed milk and some froth.

Koffie verkeerd means “wrong coffee，” because normal coffee would contain a dash of milk instead of the almost 50/50 ratio.

If you like milk in your coffee， order a koffie verkeerd with your breakfast or as an afternoon treat. Many people add a cube of sugar to their koffie verkeerd and stir it up with a little spoon. The Dutch almost always serve a little cookie with your coffee， which is a charming addition to this milky caffeinated delight.

Hollandse Nieuwe Haring

A very traditional food in the Netherlands， Hollandse nieuwe haring should be tried at least once. The raw herring fish is typically served with chopped onions， and can be eaten with or without bread.

Herring should only be called Hollandse nieuwe if caught between May and July. The fish should also be prepared according to the Dutch tradition where the freshly caught fish are gutted onboard the fishing boats， leaving the pancreas14 in the fish. The pancreatic enzymes perform much of the preservation of the haring， so that the brine15 they are kept in needs less salt.

Dutch herring are traditionally eaten by holding the fish by the tail and dunking it into your mouth with your head thrown back. If that doesnt seem appealing， haring can also be eaten in bite size pieces or on a sandwich called broodje haring.

Limburgse Vlaai

A delicious pie with a tasty light crust， Limburgse vlaai is often filled with fruits like cherries or apricots16. This type of pie is originally from the Limburg area in the south of the Netherlands， and is said to have been created in the town of Weert by a woman named Maria Hubertina Hendrix who sold her pies at the train station.

Vlaai differs from other pie recipes in a few ways. The batter is lighter than traditional pie crust， a bit more like a cake than a pie dough. Also， the pie itself is flatter and thinner than many American styles of pie.

Several varieties of vlaai can be found throughout the Netherlands. The most common have fruit fillings like cherries， apricots， plums， and apples. There is also a version called greumellevlaai that is filled with a buttery crumble mix and a rice pudding recipe called rijstevlaai.

Stamppot

Traditionally served during winter， stamppot might just be the epitome of Dutch cuisine. Hearty， nutritious， and tasty but not exactly what one would call haute17 cuisine.

This dish consists of mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables like kale18 or carrots19 and is traditionally served with rookworst （smoked sausage）. Want to eat stamppot like a real Dutchman？ Dig a little “pond” in your stamppot for the gravy！

Stamppot boerenkool （kale） is arguably the most popular version of this filling meal. Other types of stamppot are stamppot rauwe andijvie （raw endive20）， hutspot （onions and carrots） and zuurkool （sauerkraut21）.

Patat

A tasty but questionable Dutch culinary contribution is patat （frites）. These thick and crispy fries are said to have been invented in the northern part of Belgium， and are thus often called Vlaamse22 friet. Dutchies love their patat with copious amounts of mayonnaise23 and often supplement this popular treat with another fried snack on the side if you can believe it. This side dish may be frikandel or kroket， both deep—fried meaty snacks.

The Dutch enjoy their patat with mayonnaise and also with a combination of unique toppings. Try patatje oorlog， a conglomeration of peanut saté sauce， mayo and onions that might give your stomach a lesson about the meaning of the name （oorlog means war）. Or try the patat speciaal which includes curry ketchup， mayonnaise and onion. For the ultimate healthy meal， try the frikandel speciaal with curry ketchup， mayo and onions slathered24 on a frikandel sausage， and order a side25 of patat to dip in the leftover sauce.

荷兰的食物可能不像法国或中国菜那样闻名于世，但有许多独富荷兰风味的美食绝对值得一试。下面我们就来历数一些荷兰不可不尝的美味。

荷式烤饼

荷式烤饼是一种小而松软的煎饼，用荞麦面和酵母制作而成。烙制这些可口的小甜点需要使用底部有若干浅凹槽的专用平底锅来盛面糊，这可以使做成的小饼蓬松得恰到好处。吃烤饼的时候，上面通常会撒些糖粉，抹上黄油。

秋冬季节是荷式烤饼的传统消费旺季，街头巷尾和露天市场随处可见卖这种美味小吃的摊点。人们常把烤饼放到一个小纸盘上，吃的时候用小叉子轻抹黄油，然后叉起小饼送入口中。风吹起糖粉，雪白的粉末落在脸颊和衣服上，这也是吃小饼的乐趣之一哦！

奶油肉丸

奶油肉丸是种油炸小吃，在荷兰的小餐馆和酒吧里随处可见。这些美味肉丸的外皮有一层酥脆的面包屑，内里填充的则是由牛肉末、牛肉汤、面粉、黄油、香草和调味料混合而成的软而黏的馅儿。奶油肉丸上桌时，通常还会配上芥末来供人们蘸食。

如果你从未品尝过奶油肉丸，不妨在小餐馆喝啤酒时点上一份，两者堪称绝配。不过，咬下肉丸那酥脆的外皮时要小心，因为里面的肉馅通常会非常烫！

蜜糖华夫饼干

蜜糖华夫饼干是一种味美而有嚼劲的甜点，最早出现于18世纪的荷兰小城豪达。事实上，直到1870年，蜜糖华夫饼干也只有在豪达才有，当时仅在这一座城市就有约一百家烘焙屋出售这一甜点。

这款甜点是一种华夫饼状的饼干，是由两层薄薄的面糊烤制而成，中间夹一层粘稠的糖浆。在荷兰，几乎能在任何一家食品店和烘焙屋购买到带包装的蜜糖华夫饼干，此外，市场和节日活动场所的街头小摊上还有现烤现卖的蜜糖华夫饼干。

蜜糖华夫饼干与咖啡或茶都是极好的搭配。蜜糖华夫饼干大小不一，但最常见的一种其大小恰好能放在一杯热饮上当杯盖用。杯中的热气可将饼干熏得松软，同时也融化了甜美的糖浆，使其成为美妙的餐后甜点。

咖啡拉提

探访荷兰任何一家咖啡馆或餐馆，你都一定会发现有人点咖啡拉提。这其实是荷兰版的拿铁咖啡或欧蕾咖啡。传统的咖啡拉提就是一杯含有大量温牛奶的热咖啡，但现在最常见的做法是在意式浓咖啡里加入大量蒸牛奶和一些奶泡。

其实“koffie verkeerd”的本意是“假咖啡”，因为正常的咖啡只含有少量的牛奶，而不是几乎一半的咖啡冲上一半的牛奶。

如果你喜欢加牛奶的咖啡，不妨在早餐或下午茶时点上一杯咖啡拉提。许多人都会在咖啡拉提里加一块方糖，用小勺慢慢搅。荷兰人几乎每次都会为你的咖啡拉提配上一块小点心，为这美妙的牛奶咖啡又平添了几分魅力。

荷兰鲜鲱鱼

荷兰鲜鲱鱼是一种非常传统的荷兰食品，无论如何都应该至少尝试一次。人们通常将生鲱鱼伴着洋葱碎吃，搭不搭配面包均可。

只有在每年5月到7月间捕获的鲱鱼才能被称为“荷兰鲜鱼”，这种鱼还应遵循荷兰传统的做法来做：将刚捕获的鲜鱼在渔船上去内脏，但留下鱼的胰腺。胰腺中的胰酶对鲱鱼的保鲜起着很大作用，所以腌鲱鱼时用的盐水不需要太多盐。

荷兰鲱鱼的传统吃法是提着鱼尾巴，仰头一口将整条鱼滑入口中。如果你不喜欢这种吃法，还可以将鲱鱼斩成方便入口的小块儿来吃，或者做成鲱鱼三明治吃。

林堡水果派

美味可口的林堡水果派具有香甜而松脆的外皮，内里填充的馅儿通常是像车厘子或杏子这样的水果。这种水果派起源于荷兰南部的林堡地区，据说是由威尔特镇的一位女士发明的。这位女士名叫玛丽亚·胡伯蒂娜·汉德里克斯，她当时在火车站卖自己做的水果派。

林堡水果派的配方与其他派的配方有些许不同。与传统派的派皮相比，做林堡苹果派派皮的面糊更稀薄，这与做派的面团截然不同，倒有点像是用来做蛋糕的。另外，与许多美式派相比，这种派整体上更扁、更薄。

在荷兰，你会发现各种不同风味的林堡水果派，最常见的是用车厘子、杏、李子和苹果等水果制成的水果派。此外，还有两种水果派的衍生品：一种叫greumellevlaai，是用黄油和面包屑做馅儿制成的派；另一种叫rijstevlaai，是粳米布丁派。

土豆菜泥

作为一款传统冬季菜肴，土豆菜泥可以说是荷兰的代表性美食。它非常丰盛、富含营养、美味可口，但确切地说并不是人们口称之为的高级菜品。

这款菜肴是由土豆泥与诸如羽衣甘蓝、胡萝卜这样的蔬菜混合而成，通常会搭配烟熏肠一起吃。你想像真正的荷兰人那样吃土豆菜泥吗？那就在土豆泥里挖个“小洞”，浇上肉汁吃。

在各种令人饱腹的土豆菜泥中，最受欢迎的大概莫过于羽衣甘蓝土豆泥。其他类型的土豆泥还包括生菊苣土豆泥、洋葱胡萝卜烂炖和泡菜土豆泥。

荷式炸薯条

荷兰有一种好吃的炸薯条，但它究竟是否属于荷兰特有的美食尚存争议。据说这种粗且脆的薯条是在比利时北部地区研制出来的，因此常被称作佛拉芒薯条。荷兰人喜欢在薯条上浇上大量的蛋黄酱，而且令人难以置信的是，他们在享用这一流行美食时，还经常搭配另一个油炸点心一起吃。这个作为配餐的点心可以是热狗肠或者鸡肉土豆棒——都是肉类油炸食品。

除了蛋黄酱外，荷兰人还喜欢在薯条上搭配一些独特的浇汁。你可以品尝一下“薯条之战”，其浇汁混合了花生沙嗲酱、蛋黄酱和洋葱，能够让你的胃充分领略其名称的含义（oorlog意为“战争”）。或者你可以尝尝“特色薯条”，其浇汁混合了咖喱番茄酱、蛋黄酱和洋葱。如果想要最健康的吃法，可以尝尝特色热狗，热狗的香肠上浇满咖喱番茄酱、蛋黄酱和洋葱，然后再配上一份薯条，用薯条蘸着热狗上多余的酱汁吃。

注释

1. yeast n. 酵母，酵母粉

2. buckwheat n. 荞麦，荞麦粉

3. indentation n. 凹口，缺口

4. batter n. 糊，面糊

5. smear vt. 涂，抹

6. deep—fry：油炸，油煎

7. crunchy adj. （食物）硬脆的，松脆的

8. gooey adj. 软而黏的，黏糊糊的

9. mustard n. 芥末，芥菜

10. waffle n. 华夫饼

11. caffè latte：拿铁咖啡，意大利浓缩咖啡加牛奶（咖啡少，牛奶多）

12. café au lait：欧蕾咖啡，法式牛奶咖啡

13. espresso n. （蒸汽加压煮出的）浓咖啡，由意大利人发明，并长期在意大利、西班牙和葡萄牙等南欧各国饮用。

14. pancreas n.〈解剖〉胰，胰腺

15. brine n. （腌制食品的）盐水，卤水

16. apricot n. 杏，杏树

17. haute adj.〈法〉高级的，顶级的

18. kale n. 羽衣甘蓝

19. carrot n. 胡萝卜

20. endive n. 菊苣

21. sauerkraut n.〈美〉德国泡菜的一种；酸泡菜

22. Vlaamse：佛拉芒，说荷语的比利时人

23. mayonnaise n. 蛋黄酱

24. slather vt. 厚厚地涂

25. side n. 主菜以外的配菜