Netherlands

foodie travel

Amsterdam

When we left the UK for good, we spent about 6 months living on a houseboat on the Amsterdam canals. We adored both the Amsterdam lifestyle and living on a houseboat so much we intend to go back to that as much as, and as soon as we can. Sadly, last year’s plans ( 2020 ) to live on a houseboat for 4-6 months were scuppered by the coronavirus. 

We still have family living there though, so have our little physical link into the local scene. We explored as many restaurants, coffee shops, and markets as possible and look forward to sharing everything with you soon. We’ve added Gouda to the title here to remind us to tell you also about the great farmer’s cheeses in the Netherlands. 

Popular food and drink

First thing to know is that it´s not all about pancakes – you´ll see a lot more Dutch Stroopwafels.  You´ll learn a lot on the tours, but if you´re living there you might just start sprinkling chocolate bits on your bread at breakfast. You need to know what KIP means in Dutch as it seems everyone survives on a kip sandwich for lunch.

You´ll find everyone snacking on licorice drops, which is a bit of an acquired taste… but Speculaas cookies we love, and you can even buy it like a cookie dough spread !  A lot of the favourite foods are fried – see more details on the food tours section below. 

For dinner, try the famous  kapsalon if you´re really hungry and want your kebab and chips and veggies all in a pile – topped with cheese and garlic sauce. Other popular food and drink that might feel like it´s been borrowed from somewhere else –  ´French fries with mayonnaise´,  Belgian beer, and make sure you know where your local Indonesian takeaway is ! It´s a real formula dinner – fabulous tasting and great value – don´t forget to get the egg on top.