BELIGUIN and DUTCH CUISINE

BELGIUN CUISNE

Belgium is famous for its brewing tradition and there are 4000 brands produced within the country. Several brews are still brewed by Trappist monks.

Poffertjes are small fried balls of dough dusted with sugar.

Asparagus, fresh seafood, especially tiny shrimp (crevettes), red cabbage prepared with apple, and frites-twice fried French fries are also popular.

Beef braised in beer, mussels, and the Belgian national dish of (jambon d’ Ardenne) smoked ham from Ardennes are easily found.

Gouda and Edam are popular cheeses. Herring is often served with raw onions 


and makes a treat    when served on rhy bread or a bolletje (soft roll)

      

Hearty pea soup (erwtensoep) simmered with pork, sausage or bacon


 is a stable diet food. A stew made   with potatoes, carrots and onions is 


called hutsepot and is also popular.

A stooperwafle is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with 


a caramel-like syrup     filling   in the middle. They were first made


 in Gouda, Netherlands. Traditionally they are placed on top of a cup of 


hot coffee or tea to soften the middle and then eaten. Yummy!

Popular with tourists is the Indonesian Rijsttafel.

This Dutch Colonial feast was created to provide a festive and official type of banquet that would represent the multi-ethnic nature of the Indonesian archipelago. It was brought back to the Netherlands by former colonials and exiled Indonesians in 1945 after Indonesia gained its independence. Often containing up to 40 different dishes with rice cooked several different ways, it could be described as a huge Chinese buffet.

DUTCH CUSINE

Gaufres are waffles topped with sugar, fruit and/or whipped cream.

You’ll find pancakes with sweet fillings, mashed potatoes with carrots or sauerkraut, beef and onion stew and wonderful hearty breads.

Deep fried croquettes are served with mustard.

Broodjes are sandwiches or rolls filled with a variety of fillings.

Popular with tourists is the Indonesian Rijsttafel.

This Dutch Colonial feast was created to provide a festive and official type of banquet that would represent the multi-ethnic nature of the Indonesian archipelago. It was brought back to the Netherlands by former colonials and exiled Indonesians in 1945 after Indonesia gained its independence. Often containing up to 40 different dishes with rice cooked several different ways, it could be described as a huge Chinese buffet.

MORE FOODS---#3

                                           More GreatFoods

Cornish Pastry

Years ago tin miners took their lunch down into the mines. Their wives created a pie with a very thick crust. The miners could eat the inside of the pie while holding the thick crust with their dirty contaminated hands. When they were finished the crust was discarded. Today the crust has been replaced with a flaky pastry. My filling was a ground lamb mixture about the consistency of mush. It was different but very good, and if I had not known it was a lamb filling I never would have guessed it.

Peppakahor

Peppakahor is a thin ginger and almond Swedish cookie. The fluted round cookies are used to make the equivalent of gingerbread houses at Christmas time. These yummy cookies taste a lot like a ginger cookie.

Mongolian Hot Pot

A Mongolian hot pot dinner, hot meaning heat hot, not spicy hot, was an interesting experience. A pot of boiling water over a burner was at each place setting. The lazy susan was loaded with all kinds of veggies, and meat. A large array of condiments to make one’s own sauce was on another table. It was a different kind of meal and one could individualize her meal however she liked. A fun meal in China.

Pavlova

Pavlova, the desert named after the famous dancer, has been a rival between Australia and New Zealand for years. I tasted my first Pavlova at a museum café on my first trip down under. The baked meringue pie shell is filled with whipped cream (the real stuff) and topped with thin slices of kiwi. It is yummy.

Good but Different Pizza

The pizza we had in Vienna and throughout the Balkans was good, but different. The paper-thin crust was brushed with olive oil, then toppings added. It is common to share a pizza, so it always came with half on each of two plates. No other cuttings are made, unless requested. The very thin dough really requires one eating it with a knife and fork. We liked these pizzas and ate many of them.

Chop Sticks

The first day in China our guide gave us a lesson on how to hold and use chop sticks. I had always had a bit of a problem with them in the past. But I conquered the technique and ate every single meal with chop sticks---no silverware!

In every restaurant in China we ate at large round tables seating 8-10 people. In the center of the table was a large lazy susan. Serving dishes were placed on it and we helped ourselves to the foods we wanted. We were given saucer-size plates, but the Chinese eat directly from the main bowl. The food was always good. Dessert is nearly always fruit.

The Best Strudel

I’ve mentioned this before but it is such a wonderful memory I shall repeat it. My German bicycle guide detoured us mid-afternoon one day to Eizendorf to a family B & B where we enjoyed a wonderful apple strudel. It was hot out of the oven, and served with or without schlag (real whipped cream), whatever your choice.

Apple strudel is popular in this part of the world, and over the years I’ve eaten a lot of it, but none has ever been as good as that wonderful Eizendorf strudel!