Typical Dutch breakfast, lunch and dinner - Amsterdam Canal Cruises (2024)

FAQs

What is a typical Dutch lunch menu? ›

A Dutch lunch in general is really basic. It consists of a boterham (bread and butter) met hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles), a boterham met pindakaas (peanut butter), a dubbele boterham met ham, and the list goes on. And of course, the Netherlands is known for its great cheeses.

Dutch breakfast and lunch

As a basis we mostly eat bread, crackers or biscuits (beschuit). Popular toppings on bread and crackers are cheese, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter, meat, jam and chocolate spread. Milk, coffee, juice and water are popular drinks to go with your food.

A typical Dutch breakfast consists of bread, whether or not toasted, with cheesemeat butter and sweet toppingslike chocolate spread, sprinkles and flakes. In addition to a sandwich, Dutch people also often eat rusks, gingerbread, currant bread or a plate of porridge.

Dutch food culture is heavily based on meat, bread and potatoes. It is not unusual for the Dutch to eat bread in the morning and afternoon, and end the day with potatoes, vegetables and meat.

Dutch Main Dishes

Stampot is a stew made from mashed potatoes and a variety of vegetables such as carrot, kale, spinach, onion or endive and commonly served with bacon or sausage.

The elderly Dutch will eat their dinner at noon - historically the time when most people had their largest meal of the day. Nowadays with most people in the office or at some other place where a midday dinner is not an option, dinner is often eaten at 6PM by the indigenous Dutch.

Uitmsijter spek en kaas denotes a typical way of preparing eggs in the Netherlands. The bacon is first placed in a buttered pan, then come the sunny-side-up fried eggs, topped with Gouda cheese until it melts. The dish is seasoned with salt and pepper, and the whole thing is placed on slices of bread.

It's called “12 o'clock” and it always consists of a small cup of soup, two slices of bread, a croquet with mustard and cream butter, a little bit of salad garnish and a filling for the second slice of bread, usually a omelet, ham and cheese.

What is the Dutch food etiquette? ›

It is polite to keep one's hands above the table until all have finished eating. It is recommended to take a small portion as your first helping, so you're able to accept a second helping. The Dutch tend to avoid wasting food. Thus, many appreciate it when their guests finish everything on their plate.

Dutch dinnertime is known for its earliness – beginning at anywhere from 17:00-19:00 – meaning most kitchens close around 21:00.

Beer remains the everyday light alcoholic drink of the Dutch. Famous breweries include Heineken, Amstel, Grolsch, Bavaria, Hertog-Jan and Oranjeboom. Jenever is the favorite Dutch spirit and similar to gin.

Rye bread is one of the few dense breads of the Netherlands. White bread used to be the luxury bread, often made with milk as well as water. A typical Dutch white bread is tiger bread. Ontbijtkoek may be eaten as a substitute for a full breakfast, or simply as a snack.

Cheese fact

Did you know that most cheese is still eaten on bread in the Netherlands? This is the origin of the expression “de kaas niet van je brood laten eten”, which means “don't let anyone else take what's rightfully yours”.

: something (such as a dinner or movie) for which each person pays his or her own share of the cost. It was Dutch treat—we each bought our own ticket. a Dutch treat luncheon.

: an individual serving of assorted sliced cold meats and cheeses compare cold cuts.

Broodje kroket is a popular Dutch sandwich consisting of a deep-fried kroket stuffed inside a soft bread roll or a bun. The sandwich is usually drizzled over with spicy mustard and consumed as a flavorful, comforting midnight snack.