@philipje1

7 months ago

Some extra info: Friet/patat: The fries you ate are called a "patatje oorlog", which means fries of war. I think refering to the battlefield and all the mess you make with the peanut sauce (saté, from Indonesia (old colony)) and mayonaisse with the onions. As you mentioned, Dutch fries (called "frietjes" below the rivers and "patat" above) come in different sizes. The ones you ate are the classical thick size, but there are also some that are called "oma's frieten", grandma's fries, which are cut more roughly and thicker. Belgian fries do show similarities with especially the latter. By the way, mayo also differs between the NL and Belgium, where the Belgian one is more sour. I like both a lot. Both countries have a real "frietcultuur" or fries culture. You typically buy all of that, including "brown food" in a "frietkraam/patatkraam" in the NL or a "frietkot" in Belgium, which both refer to a small stall in the street. A store is called a "snackbar/frituur" in the NL, but I think in Belgium they also call it a frietkot. Both countries also use the word "frituur" to describe both the stalls and the stores. As you may realize, lots of words for the same concept, a store, but it underlines the importance in both cultures. The more you know. Febo/trekmuur/automatiek: That is besides the "trekmuur" you still find at the Febo stores in the Netherlands. I think you have already used them. Unique relic from the early 1900s using I think a German invention called an "automatiek" or automat in English. Lost popularity almost all over the world in the 1950s, except for the NL! Poffertjes: Poffertje(s) are indeed small pancakes and fluffy. They are tasty with butter and powdered sugar, but are really expensive where you bought them. The classic style tastes very good too. Vla: The "vanille vla" is not really something you drink out of the package. Although almost similar in thickness, that would be a "drinkyoghurt". Vla is typically something you eat as desert in a bowl, sometimes topped with whipped cream. When you add syrup (like you use for lemonade, often raspberry or strawberry flavour), it's called a vlaflip. When you add chocolate flavoured vla to vanilla, it's called duovla or dubbelvla. When you add small little pieces of crispy chocolate balls (really tiny), it's called bolinovla. Very tasty, all of them. Kroket: A kroket is effectively a big bitterbal (or perhaps the other way around). Both the same beef filling. There is also a different variation called a "goulashkroket" which, understandably, has goulash inside. Couple of other more niche variations, but those two are the most known ones, where the beef filling is the most popular. Saucijzenbroodje/worstenbroodje: Some I think unknown sausage, probably spiced minced meat, put in "bladerdeeg" or puff pasty in English. Other variations are called a "worstenbroodje", which uses bread instead of puff pastry, and originates from the province of Noord-Brabant (their pride and joy), located below the three rivers, but is nowadays sold all over the NL. The one you ate had an abnormal bread shape, way too wide than normal. Last popular variation is a "frikendelbroodje" which contains a frikandel and often curry sauce in also a more greasy puff pastry. Indonesian food: As mentioned in the paragraph about the "patatje oorlog", the NL has a lot of Indonesian food, like the UK has Indian food. It is Dutchified, so adapted to our palate. For some strange reason, it's often consumed via take-out , called the "afhaalchinees". "Chinees" refers to Chinese, of course, but is not Chinese food at all, but, as mentioned before, Indonesian food. It seems like it has been completely rebranded and sold as if it is Chinese by Chinese workers. Alternatively, when you go to a true Indonesian restaurant, "rijsttafels" are really popular (rice tables, literally). Like tappas in Spain, where you all share a lot of different plates and pick what you like. Really nice. price performance ratio = prijskwaliteitsverhouding, by the way.

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