The Cuisne of Holland

Groningen is the northernmost province of the Netherlands and borders the Wadden Sea. A lot of fish and shrimp is used in the coastal region especially around the Lauwersmeer area. The village of Zoutkamp is the largest shrimp producer in Europe. Cloves are very common in the Groningen cuisine. Groningen meatballs, beef dishes and the typical metworst are all seasoned with cloves. Since a great part of this province is rural meat and potatoes are the main food here. Typical dishes use Groninger mosterd (mustard) as stip (gravy). Groningen mustard can also be found in a regional mustard soup. Common vegetables are beans, kale and peas which are also included in the most famous Dutch soup with a Groningen variation snert (pea soup) a form of green split-pea soup emblematic of Dutch cuisine. Traditionally eaten in winter, erwtensoep has a very thick consistency, often includes pork and sausage, and is almost a stew rather than a soup. One source says "You should be able to stand a spoon upright in a good pea soup." It is customarily served with rye bread (roggebrood) and cheese or butter. The meat may be put on the rye bread and eaten with mustard. The typical Groningen koek (cake) is known in the entire country. It is a spiced ginger cake with fruit. One of the most famous cakes is the oalwievenkouk (old lady’s cake). Other dishes are povvert (the Groningen variation of gugelhupf which consists of a soft yeast dough and contains raisins, almonds and Kirschwasser, spekdikken rye pancakes with speck (a distinctively juniper-flavored prosciutto) and metworst and niijoarsrollechies (rolls of the New Year) which are sweet rolled cookies called kniepertjes and can also be found in Drenthe and Overijssel. Groningen is also known for its rye bread (brood). Until the 19th century rye bread was the main food in the province. There is a specialty known as mollebonen (salted, fried beans). In the late Middle Ages this was one of the Hanze specialities of the city and in the surrounding areas the citizens of Groningen had mollebonen as their nickname because they used the beans as voting materials in the council. Groningen is also called the land of jenever, which is the "national" beverage of the province. Jenever is the juniper-flavored and strongly alcoholic traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Belgium, from which gin evolved. Believed to have been invented by a Dutch chemist and alchemist named Sylvius de Bouve (in Latin: Franciscus Sylvius), it was first sold as a medicine in the late 16th century. In the 17th century it began to be popular for its flavor. Traditional jenever is still very popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. European Union regulations specify that only liquor made in these two countries can use the name jenever.

Another coastal province with a lot of rural areas is Friesland (or Fryslan). Here fish and potato dishes are common. The landscape consists primarily of grass lands on which cows live. One of the largest industries of Friesland is the production of dairy products. The Friesche vlag is one of the most prominent dairy brands in the Netherlands. Beside milk, flan and yoghurt, cheese also knows Frisian varieties, like nagelkaas (a semi-hard cheese with whole cloves). Friesland and Groningen were once one single region, which causes many resemblances between both provinces like for example in cake. There is the Friese krundkoek (ginger cake) and the Friese fruitkoek (fruit cake). Other baked goods are oranjekoeke (orange cake), Fryske dumkes (Frisian thumbs) and sukerbole (sugar bread) are quite famous in the entire country. A popular snack in the north of the Netherlands is small pieces of rye bread with a piece of herring. The most famous alcoholic drink of Friesland is beerenburg made by adding herbs to jenever. It has an alcohol percentage of around 30%. The original Beerenburg was made halfway through the 19th century with a secret mixture of spices of the Amsterdam spice merchant Hendrik Beerenburg, to whom it owes its name.

The provinces of Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland are part of the Saxon cultural area. Gelderland south of the Rhine, the Betuwe does not belong to this area. The area is known for its agriculture and the ridges of hills like the Veluwe crossing the land. Here lamb is very popular. A typical dish from this parti s stamppot a traditional Dutch dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several other vegetables. These vegetable pairings traditionally include sauerkraut, endive, kale, or carrot and onion (the latter combination is known as hutspot). It is usually served with sausage or stewed meat. Typical sausages are rookworst (smoked sausage) a type of Dutch sausage in which ground meat is mixed with spices and salt and stuffed into a casing. Originally the casing used was a natural intestine, but these days the casing is usually made of bovine collagen. Rookworst is a traditional ingredient in stamppot. Stamppot became well known in the entire Netherlands, that some people see it as the national dish of the entire country. Salland the center of this area is known for the production of cold cuts (a U.S. term that refers to cheeses or precooked or cured meat, often sausages or meat loaves, that are sliced and usually served cold on sandwiches or on party trays), such as ham and boterhamworst a popular cooked, smoked sausage, of Dutch origin. Most boterhamworst is consumed in Holland. It's constituent meats are veal and pork, both of which are finely chopped. Added to the base meat mix is coarse cubes of pork fat, and seasonings. The sausage is sold hung, salami-style, and is frequently used as an ingredient in more complex dishes in Holland. It is also sold by the slice in delicatessens. A specialty in the east region of Twente is neagelhoolt a specially seasoned and saltened (originally done to conserve it) beef which people hang next to a fire place to dry. A specialty from the whole area is Zwieback, beschuit in Dutch and tweibak in Low Saxon. A Zwieback is a type of crispy, sweetened bread, made with eggs and baked twice. The second time it is baked it is sliced first, producing crispy, brittle slices that closely resemble melba toast. Zwieback is commonly used to feed teething children. The name comes from German zwei, meaning "two", and backen, meaning "to bake".

The provinces of North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht and the Gelderlandic region of Betuwe are the parts of the Netherlands which regional identity has spread to become a stereotype of the whole Dutch cuisine. The most famous product from Holland is the Hollandse nieuwe (Hollandic new one or soused herring) which is caught in the north of the region. The term soused herring usually refers to a cooked herring in a mild vinegar marinade. The herring can be baked in the marinade or fried and then soaked in it. It is served cold. As well as vinegar, the marinade might contain cider, wine or tea, sugar, herbs (usually bay leaf), spices (usually mace), chopped onion. It is eaten with the hands while holding at the tail, above your mouth and eating it from the top to the tail. Small pieces of onion are usually served with it. Since the west and south of the region borders the sea they are famous for their mussels. The center and the east is known for its flat grass lands. A lot of dairy products are made there the most famous being semi-hard cow mild cheeses. Among the prominent are Gouda (a yellow cheese made from cow's milk.), Leidse oplegger (a spiced cheese with caramin, cumin or cloves), Edam (a Dutch cheese that is traditionally sold as spheres with pale yellow interior and a coat of paraffin), Leedammer (a semi-hard cheese which has a sweet and somewhat nutty flavour that becomes more pronounced with age) and Beemster. The Zaanstreek in North Holland is known for its mayonnaise and mustard. The Betuwe, the region around the large rivers in Guelderland, is known for its fruits and marmelades.

The name Zealand (Dutch: Zeeland) means land of the sea, which explains the regional specialty – sea food. This region is known for its mussels, eels, oysters and shrimps. Most Zealandic restaurant serve freshly caught fish. Typical dishes in restaurants are filled lobster and mussel soup. Popular vegetables are leeks and beans. Zeeuws Meisje (Zealandic girl) is the most famous producere of butter products in the Netherlands. It is one of the specialties of the province. Another specialty is Zealandic butter cookie (Zeeuwse rondjes).

North Brabant is the Dutch part of the medieval duchy of Brabant. The other part is Belgian. Both the Dutch part and the Belgian part still share their culture and cuisine. A typical dish is hachee a stew of onions, beef and a thick gravy, usually served with potatoes or rice and red cabbage. Although hachee is a famous beef dish, pork is most used in Brabant. Brabant is famous for its breeding of pigs and the fields of corn. Leek is another popular vegetable. A most famous pastry is the Bossche bol, a cakelike ball filled with cream and a coating of chocolate. It is a very popular pastery in cafes in the cities ('s-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Breda, Tilburg). People from this region consider the Brabantian hotdog, a roll with a sausage of ground beef a typical specialty. In the provincial capital of 's-Hertogenbosch every year there is a battle of who can make the best Brabants worstenbroodje.

The Limburg province is a little different from the rest of the Dutch provinces. The landscape is hilly and the dialect could be categorized to the German dialects. The Limburgish cuisne is full of wild meat especially in the hunting season. The north of the province is the largest asparagus producing area in the Netherlands. The asparagus is so popular that in the spring season it is known as the queen of vegetables. The most used meat in Limburg is beef. A popular beef dish is tete de veaux beef with mushrooms and a tomato based sauce. The most famous dish is vlaai a large round pie, filled with fruit marmalade. Limburg also has a lot of beers. Some breweries are Lindeboom, Brand, Gulpener, Christoffel, Leeuw, Hertog Jan and Alfa. Many of these breweries use water from the Meuse River, which flows through the entire length of the province.

Gouda-style cheese sausages
Goudse kaasworstjes
280 grams / 10 oz. coarse white bread crumbs
230 grams / 8 oz. finely grated aged Gouda cheese
3 eggs
3 tbsp milk
salt & white pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 shallots
½ tbsp flour
30 grams butter or margarine
2 tbsp olive oil
Lightly mix 250 grams / 9 oz. of the bread crumbs and grated cheese. In a second bowl, lightly beat eggs and milk, add salt and pepper, and pour half of the egg mix over the crumbs and cheese. Add parsley and finely chopped shallots (including lots of green). Knead to a cohesive mass, cover with plastic foil and put in the fridge for an hour.
Knead the mix again by hand, and form into small balls. Roll these out on a flour covered sheet or countertop until the sausages have the diameter of a quarter.
Drag the rolls through the sifted flour, then through the remaining egg and milk mix, then through the remaining bread crumbs. Press the crumbs firmly onto the cheese links.
Heat a heavy skillet and add the butter or margarine and the oil. Heat the greese fully and then turn down halfway. Fry the ‘sausages’ for about five minutes, turn them often, until golden brown on all sides. Drain on absorbent paper before serving with a tossed salad with your favorite ingredients, such as tomato, celery, onion, mandarin parts, roasted pine nuts and dressing. Serve with toasted coarse whole wheat bread.