One of the biggest complaints I hear from fellow expats is that food in The Netherlands leaves a lot to be desired.  First of all, the Dutch have "no food culture". Their diet is often classified as "monotonous"- two colds meal a day consisting of cheese sandwiches and a glass of milk, and one warm meal, which doesn't get much more creative than meat, potatoes and vegetables.  There are also complaints about the quality of Dutch food with "watery" produce being at the top of the list. Last but not least, Dutch food is frequently labelled as "bland". Vegetables and potatoes are usually boiled while meat is fried in margarine with nothing more than a little salt and pepper.

Whenever I hear these comments, I can't help but wonder how much people actually know about the country's food culture, culinary history, product availability, and about food in general. First of all, let's begin by defining what a food culture really is. A food culture should be seen as the traditions, practices and attitudes towards food in any given country. It has nothing to do with how varied the traditional kitchen of a country is or how well- known its products are worldwide. So in effect, even the tiniest of nations with the most limited kitchen can say they have a food culture.

Back to basics

It is true that today's typical Dutch kitchen is rather basic, but this wasn't always the case. In the beginning of the 20th century, Dutch girls were sent en masse to housekeeping school where they were taught to cook as economically and fuss- free as possible.  Because of this, quite a number of traditional foods were lost.  The proof is evident if we look through 'old' Dutch cookbooks such as De Verstandige Kok.  Books such as this one show us a culinary world very different to the one we know now.  Not only does the book mention how the Dutch relished taking time out for a meal, but it also presents us with an array of interesting and exciting dishes as well as a clever and varied use of  exotic spices which were introduced to the Netherlands through the Dutch trade with Asia. The Dutch were known to enjoy growing their own fruits and vegetables and wealthier families often had summer homes out in the country complete with self-sufficient gardens. 

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