Typical Dutch: Hagelslag

"Hagelslag" was one of the first Dutch words I learned way back when I first visited the Netherlands. Actually, the phrase, "Spreek je Engels?" comprised the first, second, and third words that I learned, so I suppose that "hagelslag" was technically the fourth word in my growing Dutch vocabulary.

My first encounter with hagelslag was at a breakfast buffet at a hotel in Groningen. While perusing the food options, I became extremely confused as to why there were chocolate sprinkles in the breakfast buffet, but no cupcakes or ice cream in sight. So, I asked the attendant, who explained to me that, in the Netherlands, people eat chocolate sprinkles called "hagelslag" on bread for breakfast.  This is a typical Dutch breakfast item known as "boterham met hagelslag."

Amazed at this ingenious use of chocolate sprinkles, I decided to try it for myself, and went about toasting my bread, spreading some jam on it, and then topping it with some of the dark chocolate ("puur") sprinkles from the buffet. I felt a little bit sheepish about eating chocolate sprinkles for breakfast, but they were very tasty.

The "hagelslag aisle:" The large amount of space in Dutch supermarkets devoted to hagelslag
has led me to conclude that these chocolate sprinkles are a staple of the Dutch diet. 

Since moving to the Netherlands, I've learned that the correct way to consume hagelslag is to sprinkle it on untoasted bread that is covered with butter or margarine.  Despite this, I continue to toast my bread first because I prefer my chocolate sprinkles to be slightly melty.  I'm also guilty of using hagelslag as a cupcake topping.

This photo of my home-made chocolate cupcakes topped with hagelslag
demonstrates a controversial use of the Dutch sprinkles.

Dutch Food: Rodekool Met Appeltjes

Happy New Year!  Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

One of my favorite traditions on New Year's Day while I was growing up in Ohio was to gather the family together for a feast of sauerkraut and pork (in my case, the pork was substituted with beans or tofu).

So, this time of year, my mind often turns to cooking up a large pot of cabbage. While the Dutch eat sauerkraut ("zuurkool"), they also use cabbage in another very yummy, typical Dutch dish called "rodekool met appeltjes" (red cabbage with apples).

Rodekool met appeltjes, plated next to quinoa

I've made rodekool met appeltjes several times since moving to the Netherlands because it's a tasty and easy recipe that's just a little bit time consuming.  While I could eat it pre-made out of one of the jars or plastic sacks that are ubiquitous in the markets here, I strongly prefer the flavor of the home-made version.

Rodekool met appeltjes, simmering

Here's my recipe for rode kool met appeltjes:

Vegan Rodekool met Appeltjes
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion OR 1 medium shallot (peeled and roughly chopped)
1/2 large red cabbage (thinly sliced)
water
2 large red apples (peeled, cored, and roughly chopped)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons brown sugar OR 1 teaspoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
lemon zest (approximately 1/2 lemon)
2 teaspoons corn starch
optional: handful of raisins or currants

Instructions:
In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in a thin layer of vegetable oil until the onion is translucent. Add the sliced cabbage, mix into the onion and oil, and sauté until it begins to wilt (about 5 to 10 minutes). Add just enough water to barely cover the cabbage.  Add the apples, bay leaf, spices, sugar, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, and raisins or currants (if using). Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer for about 1 hour.  After about an hour, scoop out approximately 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid into a small bowl and whisk with the corn starch.  Add the corn starch mixture back to the soup pot and cook for another 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.

Enjoy!

Typical Dutch: The Flessenlikker

I often hear the phrase "typical Dutch" thrown around upon discovering something unique to the Netherlands.  This is especially the case when a shop owner explains a gadget of some sort that I had never seen in the USA, or to describe the weather on days that it is particularly unpredictable.

As I discover new and interesting "typical Dutch" things, I will share them on this blog.

This brings me to the topic of this post: the flessenlikker.  The flessenlikker (roughly translated to "bottle- licker") is an ingenious, yet very simple, kitchen tool that I stumbled across on a recent shopping trip to a housewares store in my neighborhood in Groningen.

Although the flessenlikker originated in Norway (according to this Wikipedia article), it is nevertheless considered a "typical Dutch" kitchen implement due to its prevalence in Dutch homes.

Why is it so prevalent? I think the answer is in its functionality - just as its name implies, it is used to scrape foods like peanut butter, mayonnaise (a condiment that is extremely popular here despite its cholesterol content), fruit preserves, and mustard from the insides of jars or bottles. Without it, bits of peanut butter or other sauces or condiments stuck to their jars or bottles inevitably end up washed down the drain or thrown into the recycling bin.  The flessenlikker's design allows it to get at food that a flat knife or spoon cannot remove. These handy little spatulas may be small, but they are waste-preventing powerhouses.

I was so inspired by the simplicity of the flessenlikker and its ability to reduce food waste, that I decided to procure one for myself.  Here it is, next to a jar of peanut butter:

My flessenlikker: preventing peanut butter waste

I've used my flessenlikker several times now, and I can say without reservation that it was the best 2 euros I've ever spent. I haven't kept track of the actual volume of food that the flessenlikker has recovered from bottles and jars before I've washed them out, but my unscientific estimate is that it has already paid for itself in recovered peanut butter, jam, and mustard.

How did I ever live without the "typical Dutch" flessenlikker?