Words of wisdom from an eighty-something Dutch grandma and more.
Anyone who has traveled to Holland will tell you two things: First, they really are known for their tulips. Lots of them. And second, much of its food is a rich fusion of Dutch and Indonesian ingredients.
What might seem like a random mixture actually traces to the days of Colonialism, during which the Netherlands claimed Indonesia (once called the Dutch East Indies,) and in turn offered an open immigration policy to island natives.
Under this charter, Indonesians were free to emigrate to the Netherlands, forming a cultural exchange between the countries early on. This history is largely reflected in Dutch-Indonesian cooking today.
I was delighted to learn more about this and other aspects of the Netherlands' cuisine at Hofstra University's 29th Annual Dutch Festival.
Among dozens of visitors celebrating the school's European history was Texan Phil George, part-owner of Dutch-Indonesian specialty foods store Kaas & Co (located in South Norwalk Connecticut.)
George thinks of Dutch food as a "stick-to-your ribs kind of hearty," with meals like vegetable hot pots brimming with potatoes, carrots, leaks, beans and pickled meats -- and Indonesian basics like nasi goreng (fried rice) and sambal oelek (a spicy pepper paste typically made from fresh chili, cayenne and the Madame Jeanette variety.)
He remembers Holland as a food hub that has many street vendors - take its infamous pickled herring stalls, where it is customary to plop the fish into your mouth with one sweeping motion.
Because the Netherlands is bordered on one side by the North Sea, sea-based ingredients like these have eased their way into its national cuisine.
"It's fresh, delicious and natural back-to-basics food," says George.
Then there's Edam, Gouda and Leyden cheese, currant buns and rye breads, spiced honey cakes and licorice tea, poffertjes pancakes and tompoezens (aka napoleons.)
Ketjap sweet soy, ginger, cumin and Java peanut sauce join in with some Indonesian flair to form a varied, contented balance between Oceanic and European choices.
"Be adventurous and try Dutch cooking," urges George, "It's really good stuff."
Luckily, George has an eighty-something festival attendee and Dutch expatriate to back him up.
Cornelia VanPienbroek came to the US sixty years ago and resides on Long Island today. "I speak 1952 Dutch," said VanPienbroek, "I still speak it better than English."
Though VanPienbroek humbly reflects on her English skills, she is by no means tied to a one-track sense of nationalism.
"We'd have Indonesian food once a week," said VanPienbroek, a globetrotting kind of gal who met her Vietnamese husband while walking the streets of Paris.
Cornelia knows many languages, and praises hybrid instances like her Dutch-Vietnamese grandchildren's speaking Spanish and Japanese, or the classic Dutch-Indonesian dish rijsttafel -- An Indonesian staple which literally translates to "rice table."
VanPienbroek recalls some meals and memories in the video below.
George fell into Netherlands-style cooking years ago when he met his other half, a Dutch gal.
He remembers Holland as a food hub that has many street vendors - take its infamous pickled herring stalls, where it is customary to plop the fish into your mouth with one sweeping motion.
Because the Netherlands is bordered on one side by the North Sea, sea-based ingredients like these have eased their way into its national cuisine.
"It's fresh, delicious and natural back-to-basics food," says George.
Then there's Edam, Gouda and Leyden cheese, currant buns and rye breads, spiced honey cakes and licorice tea, poffertjes pancakes and tompoezens (aka napoleons.)
Ketjap sweet soy, ginger, cumin and Java peanut sauce join in with some Indonesian flair to form a varied, contented balance between Oceanic and European choices.
"Be adventurous and try Dutch cooking," urges George, "It's really good stuff."
Luckily, George has an eighty-something festival attendee and Dutch expatriate to back him up.
Cornelia VanPienbroek came to the US sixty years ago and resides on Long Island today. "I speak 1952 Dutch," said VanPienbroek, "I still speak it better than English."
Though VanPienbroek humbly reflects on her English skills, she is by no means tied to a one-track sense of nationalism.
In fact, some of her earliest table joys are attributed to the waves of Indonesian immigration that followed WWII and reshaped Dutch food ways.
"We'd have Indonesian food once a week," said VanPienbroek, a globetrotting kind of gal who met her Vietnamese husband while walking the streets of Paris.
Cornelia knows many languages, and praises hybrid instances like her Dutch-Vietnamese grandchildren's speaking Spanish and Japanese, or the classic Dutch-Indonesian dish rijsttafel -- An Indonesian staple which literally translates to "rice table."
VanPienbroek recalls some meals and memories in the video below.
P.S. She'd want me to tell you that her last name means "from the froggy marshes."
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