Eating and drinking in The Netherlands. There are few dishes that can be described as quintessentially Dutch, and those that do fall into this category are a far cry from the elaborate creations of French or Italian cuisine. Almost every large town, however, has a wide range of restaurants specializing in their own brands of international dishes including American, Balkan, British, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Indonesian cuisine, a result of the Dutch colonization of the East Indies, with its use of spices and exotic ingredients, is particularly delicious. A typical Dutch breakfast usually consists of several varieties of bread, thin slices of Dutch cheese, prepared meats and sausage, butter and jam or honey and often a boiled egg. Coffee, tea, chocolate and fruit juice are drunk at breakfast. A working lunch would be koffietafel, once again with breads, various cold cuts, cheese and conserves. There will often be a side dish of omelette, cottage pie or salad. The most common daytime snack are broodjes (sandwiches) and are served in the ubiquitous sandwich bars – broodjeswinkels. Filled pancakes are also popular. Lightly salted ‘green’ herring can be bought from street stalls (they are held by the tail and slipped down into the throat). More substantial dishes are generally reserved by the Dutch themselves for the evening meal: erwtensoep (thick pea soup served with smoked sausage, cubes of bacon, pig’s knuckle and brown or white bread), groentensoep (clear consommé with vegetables, vermicelli and meatballs), hutspot (potatoes, carrots and onions), klapstuk (an accompaniment of stewed lean beef) and boerenkool met rookworst (frost-crisped kale and potatoes served with smoked sausage). Seafood dishes are often excellent, particularly in Amsterdam or Rotterdam, and include fried sole, fried whiting, royal imperial oysters, shrimps, mussels and eel (smoked, filleted and served on toast or stewed or fried). Favorite Dutch desserts include pancakes, waffles with whipped cream, poffertje (small dough balls fried and dusted with sugar) and 'bacon cake' (alternate layers of heavy buttered sponge and spices from Indonesia). The most authentic Dutch bars are undoubtedly the brown cafés, so called because of the dark-wooded paneling. You will find the the best examples in the old city centers. The local spirit is jenever (Dutch gin), normally taken straight and chilled as a chaser with a glass of beer; it comes in many varieties depending on the spices used. Dutch beer is excellent. It is a light, gassy pils type beer, always served chilled, generally in small (slightly under half a pint) glasses. Imported beers are also available, as are many other alcoholic beverages. There are no licensing laws and drinks can be bought all day.

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