4One thing that people must do when they travel is to explore more aspects of the local culture, and not only what travel agency propose to you when they promote their services. Observing the locals, the architecture, trying the local food and blend if possible in the scenery, will make the experience of traveling more interesting, and maybe you will assimilate a tiny bit of local essence.

This cookbook is going to introduce you to the Dutch Cuisine, offering you some of the oldest Dutch dishes that continue to be very appreciated by the present generation. If you travel to The Netherlands, you will surely find them in most of the restaurants with traditional menus. But it can also give you an idea of what Dutch people put on their plates and you can try some of the recipes just to have a taste of their food.

Food has always been a very significant characteristic of a nation. And Dutch food makes no exception, representing its geographic location and being redefined over time. Food was represented by artists in their paintings for centuries, and one the most famous Dutch artists, Vincent Van Gogh, depicts a very representative scene of Dutch people in the famous painting 'De Aardappeleters, ' translated 'The Potato Eaters' peasants eating potatoes. So now we know that the potato is the king on the Dutch table, being used in so many recipes, combined with almost every vegetable that was cultivated in that land.

Some of the Dutch eating habits can be interpreted as weird by foreigners, and with this, I refer to eating raw herring. They just dip the herring, head removed and innards too, in chopped onions. And how about having pancakes as the main course? Or the strange sweet they call 'drop, ' a licorice flavored candy? But there are some snacks and treats that I personally find tasty, like 'stroopwafels', which is kind of a waffle sandwich with caramel syrup, French fries (thicker than regular ones, though) with mayonnaise, croquet, bitterballen, frikandel special, which is some kind of a hot dog served with ketchup or curry sauce and chopped onions.

You can experience all the Dutch food and delicacies on your next trip to The Netherlands, but I suggest you start trying some of the recipes in this cookbook.