Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is known for the popular touristic spots – the canals, museums and the famous red light district. It is often forgotten or overlooked that the small city has a lot to offer when it comes to traditional cuisines. Many people don’t realise that there are some delicious delicacies native to the locals and absolutely delightful to the tastebuds.

Kibbeling

The Seafood Shop

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The first thing I wanted to try was Kibbeling. This popular street food snack is common as a lunchtime treat for the locals, and as it is quick and easy to sit down and try a plate. I was recommended to find a small corner shop that sold fresh seafood dishes, and here I found fresh kibbeling amongst another Dutch delicacy – pickled raw herring.

Kibbeling is deep-fried battered white fish, cut into small bitesize chunks and served piping hot. On the side, the kibbeling comes with a fresh tartare sauce, with big caper chunks and pickled onions. The combination of the two is absolutely sublime, and the dish really does shout ‘seduction of simplicity’.

Oliebollen

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Luckily when I visited Amsterdam, it was during Christmas, and naturally all the Dutch street food stalls popped up around the main city square under the twinkly Christmas lights. This is where I discovered Oliebollen.

Similar to a doughnut, oliebollen is roughly translated to Oil-balls or Grease-balls (gross right?) – but although these hand sized balls are just simply deep-fried sweet dough balls, covered in icing sugar, they are the most moreish type of dessert you can get.

A lot of naughty but oh so nice – a perfect Dutch treat for Christmas.

Poffertjes

PANCAKES Amsterdam Westermarkt

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Poffertjes or baby Dutch pancakes – The perfect end to my Dutch adventure. With the Anne Frank Huis practically next door to this restaurant, it definitely brings in the tourists, but unlike no other, this restaurant know how to treat their diners with the most friendliest of manners.

These little pancakes are no bigger than a flattened golf ball, and almost like the texture of soft Yorkshire puddings. I opted for my poffertjes to be drowned in chocolate sauce, and honestly it was the most heavenly concoction I’ve ever put in my mouth! Being ambitious I opted for a full plate, which contained 15 poffertjes – and when the plate came, I thought that this was no challenge at all, they were tiny! Little did I soon realise after demolishing 8, I was hitting a sugar wall, then it became a mission to finish the rest of the plate and with the oozing chocolate covering them, these “little” pancakes were extremely heavy. So if like me, you can not handle a lot of sugar, I suggest sharing a plate or ordering a small plate!