traveldk.com

Fresh raw herring, with chopped onion or gherkin, is sold as a snack from street stalls. Traditionally, you take your herring by the tail and toss it whole down your throat, with your head held back – but the faint-hearted may prefer them on a plate or in a roll. Best in May, when thegroene (new season’s) herrings appear.

A delicious Dutch speciality,paling (smoked eel) comes from the IJsselmeer. Served with white toast and a squeeze of lemon, it makes a perfect starter.

In the Netherlands, a staggering 14 kg (31 lb) of cheese per person is consumed each year. Gouda and Edam are the best known, but there are others, such asFriese nagelkaas , a clove cheese which became popular when spices were first imported in the 17th century.

Served much like tapas to accompany drinks in a café or bar, these deep-fried meatballs have a crunchy exterior and a soft meat filling. They are served with mustard.

The Dutch love affair with potatoes manifests itself in a variety of hearty winter dishes.Hutspot (meaning hotchpotch) is a stew of braised beef and potatoes mashed with carrots, whilestamppot boerenkool consists of mashed potato and cabbage flecked with chopped bacon and served with smoked sausage.

Like raw herring, this pea soup is another Dutch favourite that some foreigners find hard to love, with a consistency akin to wallpaper paste. Try it at Dorrius, which serves genuine Dutch food.

A delicious culinary after-echo of Holland’s colonial past, Indonesian cuisine is usually eaten in the form ofrijsttafel (rice table), a veritable feast consisting of as many as 25 little dishes of meat, fish, vegetables and sauces (some very hot), centred around a shared bowl of rice or noodles. Amsterdam has several good Indonesian restaurants, including Kantijl en de Tijger and Tujuh Maret.

Puddings are very popular, particularly the classic apple pie, accompanied by a large dollop of whipped cream (slagroom ). By common consent, the bestappelgebak in Amsterdam is served at Winkel.

Pancake houses offer an astonishing variety of fillings – try the Pancake Bakery for an excellent selection. The traditional Dutch favourite is a large pancake topped with a thick syrup calledstroop . If you have room for more, there are delicious, sugarypoffertjes , the mini pancakes sold in summer from brightly painted stalls and from permanent stands at Dam Square and Leidesplein.

Served from street stalls in a handy paper cone, chips (french fries) are ubiquitous, and very good indeed. They are generally made from whole (not pulped) Dutch potatoes, and fried in good, clean fat. Served with a large dollop of mayonnaise, they are definitely not for the dietconscious. For the very best, go to Vleminckx.