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Dinner is served! TEXT: ARNE ADRIAENSSENS | PHOTOS: VISIT.FLANDERS
While talking about gastronomy in the Benelux, products like Belgian chocolate or Dutch cheese immediately come to mind. Yet, to experience Benelux cuisine in all its glory, you must try its many local dishes. Most of them have been around for centuries but are still unadulterated crowd pleasers on many a dinner table. Taste the rich history of the region in one of its exquisite restaurants or take the chance and cook a Benelux delicacy yourself.
Hutspot In all corners of the low countries, you will find similar dishes of mashed potatoes and vegetables with a myriad of different names. In Belgium, they talk about stoemp or stamppot and, in the Netherlands, it is called hutspot. Regardless of what you call it, the mash usually consists of potatoes, carrots and onions. Nonetheless, variations with kale, endives, Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables are common as well. The exact origins of the dish are unknown, yet, a kind of hutspot was already eaten in the Netherlands during the 15th century. That was without potatoes and carrots, of course, since they only reached Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Instead, they added parsnips, plums and, if they had to, even cats and dogs back then.
Snert
Photo: NBTC
92 | Issue 64 | April 2019
Where soup is just a light starter in most countries, the Dutch have elevated it to a potential main course. If you order yourself a plate of snert, you will be served a soup of green peas which is about thick enough to stand a spoon in. To make it even heavier, big chunks of rookworst float through the green brew while a piece of rye bread is served on the side. Afterwards, it is traditional to also eat a pancake. The oldest recipe for snert dates back to the 16th century, but the dish remains very popular today, especially in winter. In the city of Groningen, you can even compete in the annual Snert Cooking World Cup.