TASTES LIKE DUTCH A N I MP R ES S IO N O F D U T C H C U L IN ARY C U LT U R E
An impression of Dutch culinary culture
INTRO
TASTES LIKE DUTCH
WHY DUTCH CUISINE? Because we are proud of our food culture, but it needs to be refined and organized at a professional level. Therefore we have written a manifesto bringing the minds of a number of top chefs and other professionals in the food industry together. Our goal is to put the Dutch food culture on the map, representing our cuisine in a healthy, innovative and responsible way.
A NEW LOOK Dutch Cuisine provides a fresh perspective on
signature which everyone is proud of, from the
our food culture, creating new economic values.
chef and his dishes, to the producer with their
For the Dutch people, culture and creativity are
products, and the city with its restaurants. Un-
serious business. Think of Dutch Design, Archi-
der the banner of Dutch Cuisine our national
tecture and Fashion, these have become house-
and international profile can be supported.
hold names worldwide for their quality and ima-
Dutch Cuisine is the answer to a clear need for
gination. This is only done when the government
an overarching international food organization.
and all sectors join forces to achieve a goal. Dutch
One for everyone who is interested can contribu-
Cuisine is an organization moving toward this le-
te to our food culture in the Netherlands. From
vel of awareness. We have the potential and can
producers and retailers to institutions and chefs.
reverse the current image of Dutch food culture as bland. In every kitchen there is innovative and
THE PEOPLE BEHIND DUTCH CUISINE The chefs of Dutch Cuisine are passionate ambassadors of authentic Dutch flavor. They inspire us to work with all the beautiful Dutch seasonal products. Our ambassadors include chefs, producers, cultural creators and innovators, along with our sponsors, partners and friends who help support us in achieving our goals.
INTRO
creative cuisine being made. All with a Dutch
OUR 5 PRINCIPLES Our guidance into the future
THE DISH REFLECTS WHERE WE ARE AND WHICH SEASON WE ARE IN. . Dutch Cuisine is here to promote the Netherlands’ gastronomic culture. Our culture has always been an adoptive one, open and connected with the world. Something we continue to persevere with. Along with that, in the Netherlands we are able to vary our food with seasonal dishes. We’re pretty unique in that aspect. As a rule, nature determines our menu and the dish on our plate reveals where we are and which season we’re in. Our aim: 80% seasonal produce with as much as possible sourced from the Netherlands / 20% out-of-season produce..
INTRO
Culture
Health GOOD FOR US AND OUR WORLD.
We cook and eat in a way that’s healthy and varied. We use more fruit and vegetables, and less meat and fish. Eating healthily results in feeling good. It’s good for the body, good for the mind and good for the planet! Our aim: 80% fruit and vegetables / 20% meat and fish
Nature
HONEST, MULTI-FACETED FOOD FROM WHAT NATURE OFFERS US. Nature’s biodiversity determines what we have to hand. Hoproduces through the seasons, without artificial additives. We are creative, in order to use the whole product and not just the parts which are easiest. From head to tail, without waste. Our commitment: Use what nature offers us through the seasons, avoid use of artificial additives, work right through from head to tail and waste nothing.
INTRO
nest, multifaceted food from what the land and sea naturally
Quality WE PURCHASE, COOK AND EAT WITH HIGH AWARENESS. We recognise quality and taste. We purchase, cook and eat with high awareness. With respect to the ingredients, the source, the producer and the people we deal with along the way. When buying we therefore don’t just look at the price, but also at the quality. We invest in healthy produce, a healthy way of eating and the knowledge about it. Our aim: Honest, high-quality produce which is, as far as possible, organic, Fairtrade, kind to animals, pure, fresh, seasonal and regional/local.
WE WORK TOWARDS TOMORROW. As a result of the four previously described principles, we create value which is beneficial all-round. We eat and live healthier, we leave the earth in a better state, we waste less, we pay the producer a fair price and we ensure better animal welfare. Our aim: Dutch Cuisine is the guardian of the Netherlands’ way of eating and works towards tomorrow. Everything the earth has to offer us is a gift from previous generations, which we have a duty to pass on to the generations of the future.
INTRO
Value
Red beet & violet mustard
Niven Kunz Niven Kunz is only 34 years but has held the prestigious Michelin star status for over 10 years. Niven cooks with 80% vegetables and 20% meat or fish. In his kitchen vegetables always go first and the use of meat and fish is very limited. Not only because he thinks this is more sustainable, also because he simply loves cooking with vegetables.
C U LT U R E
NIVEN KUNZ (restaurant Niven)
ATELIER NL Nadine Sterk en Lonny van Ryswyck working on project SandBank
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SandBank The glass industry uses only white, pure sand for the manufacturing of glass. This type of sand can only be found in a small number of sand quarries around the world. To challenge the conventions of this conGlasimperfectie
servative industry, Atelier NL is persistently searching and experimenting with local, non-pure sands. Sand from different locations produces different colors, patterns, and textures. Melted in the oven the sands fracture, foam, and harden into crystallization patterns. With SandBank Atelier NL explores the potential of these new material variations. Their research is focused on the abilities and future potential natural wild sands have within them, due to the varied mix of minerals and other components that are attached to the grains.
Vormstudies in 3D-programma
The deceptively simple act of transforming sand into glass reveals stories of the grains themselves and their dazzling diversity, stories of deep time and endless change.
Glasprofiel
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DICK MIDDELWEERD (restaurant De Treeswijkhoeve)
Janneke Vreugdenhil Culinary journalist
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THE HUNT REMAINS A TRICKY ISSUE. REVILED BY CITY DWELLERS. SELF-EVIDENT TO FARMERS AND COUNTRY FOLK. A QUESTION OF NECESSARY NATURE MANAGEMENT.
DUTCH CUISINE,
S I M P LY A PART OF OUR CULTURE Monique Mulder Executive Committee Dutch Cuisine, CEO and founder of Mattmo Creative
OUR CONTINUOUS FLOW OF INNOVATION AND AMAZING CREATIVITY CAN BE FOUND IN OUR PRODUCTS, AND THE PROOF OF IT IS PRESENTED ON OUR DUTCH CUISINE CHEFS’ PLATES – THAT IS WHERE EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER. THE DISH NOT ONLY SHOWS THE DUTCH SEASONS AND REGIONS, BUT ALSO THE INNOVATIVE CAPACITY AND CREATIVITY IN OUR CUISINE – FOR THIS DEFINES OUR FOOD CULTURE.
Bringing it all together on a plate implies so much more.
the identity of the area we live in, from which we draw our
It includes the whole ‘from ground to mouth’ process and
strength, our hopes, our food, our creativity, and our innova-
involves the entire food chain, but also from ‘soil to heaven’
tion. It is our home; we are one with it, and we ingest products
as the taste of our soil is reflected in our products, the colours
from our soil every day. Our food identity is an integral part
of Dutch nature and the artistic expression of our chefs. For
of us with so many layers and made by so many people. It’s a
ages our rich food heritage has been captured in paintings
patchwork that is reflected in our food culture and Dutch Cui-
to demonstrate this. We live in a fertile delta with an enor-
sine aims to put this on the map.
mous variety of soil types, and you can taste and see that: It’s the Dutch ‘Terroir’. The soil is our basis; it is inseparable from
We are at a point where innovation
other they can charm the general pub-
We can all invest in technology, but
helps to make a healthier and more sus-
lic through our senses, make us savour
let us also invest in our Dutch Cuisine
tainable world and where our creativity
our food, and at the same time enhance
chefs’ creations and their food inspira-
is a statement of pure common sense
the evolution of our food culture. Be-
tion, creating awareness and enabling
combined with a sketch of the world we
cause creativity in our food culture has
people to do it themselves. Include them
want to live in.
a wide-reaching and positive impact on
and make them participate, and so ac-
people far beyond our intended use of
tively contribute. It’s all about SEEING,
There lies our challenge, and so our
simply eating. It also implies a healthier
DOING and TASTING.
chefs can be a source of inspiration to
and more sustainable way of living for
us all. They are the example and the an-
now and for the future.
swer to issues that others pass by. As no
C U LT U R E
IF OUR CULTURE IS A REFLECTION OF OUR IDENTITY, IT SHOWS IN OUR INNOVATIVE CAPACITY AND CREATIVITY. IT IS PART OF OUR CHARACTER – IT’S TYPICALLY DUTCH, WITH A TWIST. IT’S THE COMMON THREAD DISPLAYED BY ICONS LIKE DUTCH DESIGN, DUTCH FASHION AND DUTCH ARCHITECTURE. A SORT OF INDIVIDUALITY, WHICH MAKES US OPEN AND ADOPTIVE, EXPRESSES IT, MAKING US BOLD ENOUGH TO GIVE A NEW INTERPRETATION TO TRADITIONS. OUR CREATIVITY AND PASSION SERVING A HEALTHIER, FINER, ENRICHED AND MEANINGFUL LIFE.
Jonnie Boer
“Passion” is Jonnie and Thérèse’s motto and the heart of the different Librije companies. Passion for cooking, wines and gastronomy. Everything in the world of De Librije is carried out with a contemporary, modern twist, adverse to convention and entrenched customs. De Librije is situated in a historic building served nearly uninterrupted as a prison. Jonnie Boer becomes Restaurant De Librije’s chef at the age of twenty-four and several years later he buys the restaurant together with his wife Thérèse, a respected Viticulturist and host, after which in 1993 their first Michelin star swiftly follows. In 1999 the second Michelin star follows, which makes Jonnie Boer the youngest two-star chef in The Netherlands. In 2004 De Librije becomes the second restaurant
JONNIE BOER (restaurant De Librije) Capers cabbage, spicy North sea crab, goose liver, young sunflowers, juice of carrots and magnolia
with three Michelin stars. De Librije entered the list of the ‘Worlds 50 Best Restaurants’ in April of 2010, and remained there in 2011 and 2012. In 2014 De Librije achieved the highest listing: it reached the 29th place. Restaurant De Librije stands for savouring extraordinary dishes and accompanying wines in unique surroundings. Pure ingredients from the region make up the bases of the kitchen. Jonnie Boer and his kitchen brigade ensure perfection in the kitchen whilst Thérèse and her team guarantee a special wine and dine combination.
H E A LT H
in The Netherlands to have been awarded
H E A LT H
LET THINGS GROW AS THEY SHOULD
LET IT COME TOGETHER ON THE PLATE
DICK MIDDELWEERD (restaurant Treeswijk)
Dick Middelweerd, proprietor and chef at De Treeswijkhoeve**, previously worked at renowned Dutch restaurants such as Okura Hotel, Restaurant Ciel Bleu** in Amsterdam, and The Hoefslag* in Bosch en Duin. Since 1991 he is the owner / head chef at De Treeswijkhoeve**, the restaurant of his in-laws in the forests of Waalre situated in the province of North Brabant. In 2000 he took over with his wife Anne-Laura. Five years later he could add his first Michelin star to his name and in 2016 a second one. The Dick Middelweerd cooking style can be characterized as Eastern with regional influences. After being struck by a heart attack in 2009, he changed his course drastically. ‘Healthier, more vegetables, less butter and sugar.’ The healthier cuisine is one of the success factors of Dick Middelweerd’s cooking style. ‘Coincidentally, it is a trend now, but I had to.
H E A LT H
Dick Middelweerd
NIVEN KUNZ (restaurant Niven) Seasonings
H E A LT H
THE COAST WITH THE MOST
H E A LT H
THE DEADLIEST CATCH
THE L
N AT U R E
AND OF PLENTY
THE NETHERLANDS IS A LAND OF CHEESE INTRODUCING 7 NEW P L AY E R S T O T H E P L AT T E R
Janneke Vreugdenhil culinary journalist
DUTCH CHEESE Dutch cheese is famous around the world. Americans, Japanese, Russians, Germans, they cannot get enough. And of course, we also enjoy it ourselves and it is a national pride for the Netherlands. However we mainly eat our Dutch cheese on a slice of bread as part of a meal with nothing too fancy. Large-scale production cheese is the go-to choice. Once we talk about “fancy cheese” with a glass of wine, we soon reach for foreign cheeses from France or Italy. Even with so many artisanal specialty cheeses made in our own country. Cheeses that deserve to be tasted and savoured enjoyed among like-minded people with a good bottle of wine.
REMEKER
RUYGENTALER
This organic cheese is made from the raw milk of Jersey
You might call the Ruygentaler the Dutch answer to
cows. The cheese has a naturally ripened rind, which is
the Swiss and French Emmental, but this does not quite
produced by rubbing the cheeses with ghee (clarified
do the cheese justice. This raw milk cheese from Oudewa-
butter). The Jersey cow is known for its rich milk. Farm
ter is perhaps more original than its famous counterparts.
De Groote Voort in Lunteren does not use any antibiotics
It has the same sweet taste, but where the Emmentalers is
on their cows and feeds them 30 varieties of dried fruits and
still sometimes very one-dimensional, the Ruygentaler
seeds. They are not dehorned and are allowed to graze out-
has something really unique and rustic. It’s as If you are
side from early spring until late autumn. This Arcadian life
standing in the barn with the cows. One drawback: there
results in a particularly creamy cheese with a distinctive full
is few cheese shops that sell it. Shop Ed Boele in The Hague
flavour. It’s almost like eating butter with tiny, salty protein
(selected in 2014 to the best specialty cheese shop in the
crystals. REMEKER takes 2.5 to 3 months to ripen (REME-
Netherlands) is one. This cheese Valhalla is worth visiting.
(comparable: Swiss Etivaz)
KER Pril) 8 to 9 months to ripen (REMEKER Ryp) and Olde REMEKER, need to be aged 16 to 18 months. remeker.nl
(comparable: French and Swiss Emmentaler)
ruygeweydekaas.nl/ruygentaler.html
THE ZEEKRAAL
TWENTE BUNKER CHEESE
The company Terschelling created the
The taste of cheese is almost as difficult to describe as that of wine and
Zeekraal cheese made from the organic
the question of where the taste comes from almost as difficult to answer. The
milk of Friesian sheep that graze outdoors
milk, the producer, the ripening room, they are all important. In the case of
almost all year. Every effort is made to
Twente bunker cheese the ripening room is very special. In the town Daarle
allow the sheep to live in a natural environ-
the cheese is ripened for around 7 months in an old ammunition bunker,
ment, allowing them to eat in pastures con-
where the humidity and temperature provide an ideal climate. There are cow
taining wild plants and flowers. And you
and goat milk varieties, both made with vegetarian rennet. The cheeses have
can taste it in the cheese. The cheese has
a slight bitter taste with very little acidity and a good dose of sweet mixed in.
(comparable: tomme de brebis from the Pyrenees)
(comparable: ripened French gruyere)
a fruity, light acidity but something also kaasvanhier.nl/streekkazen/twentse-bunkerkaas
much more interesting when it is older. Their aged cheese is comparable to the Pyrenees tomme de brebis. Zeekraal makes various other cheeses, including fenugreek, with nettle and of course samphire (which is Zeelkral in Dutch). dezeekraal.nl
MACHETIN
(comparable: French crottin de chèvre)
If you are talking about Dutch goat cheese you cannot forget Hanneke Kuppens in Groningse Westerkwartier. De Oude
BASTIAANSEN
(comparable: Cow: Bleu de Gex from Jura, Goat: Bleu de brebis from Auvergne)
In the Netherlands there are not that many blue cheeses produced. Bastiaansen from Brabant’s Molenschot is an exception that excels. Created with the bacteria roquefort penicilinum roqueforti it is stirred into the milk. During ripening oxygen is injected into the cheese, so that the bacteria comes to life and forms the characteristic blue veins. There is a cow and goat milk variety of the blue cheese. They are firm in texture, creamy and not over powering. The goat cheese also has something fresh. Both are quite accessible for blue cheeses. bastiaansen-bio.com
Streek is an organic goat farm making various cheeses in different shapes and sizes. The milk is pasteurized, processed and manufactured with pure natural ingre-
PETIT DORUVAEL
comparable: Belgian Wijnendale or French Port Salut)
dients. All cheeses from De Oude Streek
In the city of Utrecht at Montfoort the family Vlooswijk makes a red flora
have that creamy Machedoux characteris-
cheese that can compete easily with any counterpart from France. The dis-
tic of a cottony crust like the brie Mache-
tinctive flavour and orange-red rind of the Doruvael is thanks to the linens
mat. There are also hard goat cheeses with
bacterium that is rubbed on. Traditionally made from raw milk, The Dorvael
their mild and creamy milk like the Ma-
is now made with pasteurized milk due to the costs attached with raw milk
chetin. The hard cheese is Kuppens latest
inspections. Nevertheless, the taste of a real farmhouse cheese is there with a
invention and is a response to the French
hint of hay and full milk, delicious.
Crottin. The Machetin becomes stronger, dryer and lighter closer to the use-by-date. The Machetin is packaged in a little wooden box that provides a perfect condition for the Machetin to further ripen. machedoux.nl
doruvael.nl
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unmistakably spicy. Sheep cheese gets
THE FUTURE WILL TAKE US TO NEW PLACES
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A CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH TIME Dutch Cuisine
Our food heritage has never stopped
Let’s take a look at a few of these wonderful
evolving. Creatively it’s never stood still and
traditions.
has always been influenced by foreign trade – becoming peppered with riches from afar.
When our little ones come into the world
It all comes from our adoptive nature and
there’s Beschuit met Muisjes. This is a cute
openness that we blend with an appetite for
little tradition where we serve a twice baked
doing things differently.
piece of round toast and adorn it with sprinkles, cheerful pink for a girl and beautiful
As a result, we have many traditions and
blue for a boy, to guests who come to visit our
rituals that contribute to our collective food
newborns.
memory and co-define our cultural identity. Like our society at large, they grow over time
Next we have haring, or herring, if you’re
and need to be nurtured and passed on, or
not Dutch. A small, oily, silvery-coloured
run the risk of being forgotten. Of course,
fish found in the North Atlantic. For the
they could be described as kooky, crazy
Dutch, they’re a national love affair. Every
or a little odd by those from outside NL’s
year we await the Hollandse Nieuwe, which
border, but that’s why we love them and
appear around the beginning of June. How
embrace them for what they are – a part of
should you eat such a delicacy? We serve it
our national heritage.
with chopped raw onions and sliced gherkins on a bun, or more commonly, as is with the
head and innards removed. The idea is that
And as we know the Dutch are natural
you grab the herring by its tail, dip it in some
explorers, a fact that saw the rise of
raw onions and then swallow the whole lot
one of the infamous Dutch East India
together. That’s the real ‘Dutch Way’. There’s
Company. With the spice trade came salt,
nothing like it.
pepper, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon – highly sought after commodities that saw it
When the temperature drops, there’s a tradi-
create a monopoly over the spice trade itself.
tion waiting in the sidelines ready to take up
Imagine where cooking would be without
the culinary mantle – erwtensoep. Dutch Pea
them.
Soup. Traditionally it’s eaten after people go These and many others culinary traditions,
a great way to warm up those cold bones after
are kept alive because they’re linked to
a morning of pirouetting.
celebrations, but there are others that could be slowly being forgotten if they’re not passed on.
EVERY YEAR WE AWAIT THE HOLLANDSE NIEUWE, WHICH APPEAR AROUND THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. HOW SHOULD YOU EAT SUCH A DELICACY?
Generation
to
generation
knowledge
prevalent as there are many people still learn-
exchange is vital to this process. And
ing about their local/regional food traditions
although it is happening, we still need to be
and heritage – and embracing them.
more active. After all, many more generations need to enjoy the delights of Blote billetjes in
Things like cooking at home, healthy food,
het gras! This literally means: bare little bot-
no-waste methods and rediscovering pick-
toms in the grass – a dish of mashed potatoes,
ling, smoking and salting. And this is what
white beans and string beans. Something
Dutch Cuisine is all about. Our vision is of
that’s being discovered by people of all ages.
sustainable food consumption channelled through the Dutch identity. And we’ll get
A place such cooking was embraced was at
there, one tasty, sumptuous, delicious plate of
the Huishoudschool where traditional Dutch
food at a time.
cooking was taught. About 30% of Dutch children learnt about traditional healthy cooking and nutrition. Although it doesn’t exist anymore, we think its teachings are still
VA L U E
ice skating on the frozen lakes and canals. It’s
THIS PIECE IS A COLLABORATION OF MANY PEOPLE WHO SHARE THE AMBITIONS AND IDEAS OF DUTCH CUISINE AND WHO ACTIVELY PROPAGATE ITS PHILOSOPHY. THEY HAD THE CURIOSITY TO RESEARCH AND EXPRESS OUR CULINARY FOOD CULTURE. IT IS A JOURNEY OF HUNDREDS OF YEARS THAT WE CAN ONLY HAND TO YOU IN MERE CLIPPINGS OF A TIMESPAN.
IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE TO INSPIRE MANY IN STARTING TO THINK MINDFULLY OF THE POSITIVE IMPACT THAT WE CAN MAKE WITH OUR FOOD. WITH THANKS TO THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS WORK AND THE PEOPLE IN THE SECTOR WHO WORK HARD EVERY DAY TO ACHIEVE THIS, ENABLING US TO REFLECT ON OUR FOOD.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS THAT MADE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE.