Undoubtedly, winter brings out the very best of Dutch cuisine.

Hearty and warm, Dutch dishes are ideal for frigid temperatures, and while the number of authentic Dutch restaurants have grown in recent years, the cuisine is still considered best when home-cooked.

The ultimate Dutch winter food is of course stamppot (hotchpotch). A rather easy dish to prepare, stamppot consists of mashed potatoes mixed with either raw or cooked vegetables and (not necessarily) meat. There are several variations — most common are endive, hutspot (carrots with onions), sauerkraut and cabbage.

Many times stamppot is eaten with rookworst (Dutch smoked sausage) and/or fried bacon on the side.

There are also some typical Dutch winter soups. Beans have lost their popularity in the last two decades, so the well-known bruinebonensoep (brown bean soup) is no longer often prepared at home.

Far more popular is erwtensoep (pea soup). Depending on the weather, stamppot and winter soups are eaten from fall to the beginning of spring. It is commonly believed that a bowl of erwtensoep tastes better when it’s freezing outside. Which may be true, as in winter it is often served at outdoor activities.

All you ever wanted to know about stamppot

The best-known stamppot is stamppot boerenkool (kale or farmer‘s cabbage). This is also a strictly cold weather dish, as boerenkool leaves are best frosted — the cold softens the leaves thus improving their taste.

Most Dutch buy their boerenkool at the supermarket in neatly packaged plastic bags, however if you are keen on finding the freshest kale you can try a local farmers market or a health food store.

Kale is a primitive version of cabbage and whether it is red, green or white, it’s certainly not the world’s most elegant vegetable. Still, there's something about the taste of kale that made it become a national dish in three different countries. But whereas the Brazilians are very proud of their Couve Minera (kale in the style of Minias Gerais) and most Portuguese love to chat about the taste of a plate of Caldo Verde (Portuguese kale-potato soup), it will be very hard to find a Dutch citizen boasting about ‘stamppot boerenkool’.

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