Good food is no problem at all in Amsterdam. Everywhere you will find restaurants and bars serving dishes from all over the world. But which typical Amsterdam food and typical Dutch food should you really try when you are in Amsterdam?
The croquette is a bar of meat ragout that is fried crispy. The Van Dobben croquette originated in Amsterdam in 1945 and has become a classic. You eat it on its own with your fries or in a soft white bun, with a good lick of mustard on top. Be careful not to burn your mouth when tasting this delicacy!
Ossenworst is a typical Amsterdam sausage made from raw beef. The sausage originated in the seventeenth century, and this is reflected in the spices used to flavor the sausage: pepper, cloves, mace and nutmeg are typical spices that were brought to the Netherlands from the East in the seventeenth century.
A typical Jewish-Amsterdam sandwich is the half om sandwich. It is a soft white bun topped with boiled liver and cured meat. Because the sandwich is typically Jewish, the meat products are always made from beef.
The Duivekater is a festive bread that is mainly baked in the area north of Amsterdam. The bread is made with warm butter, lemon zest and milk. The bread has been eaten for centuries and it can even be found in two paintings by Jan Steen.
The ginger bolus is a typical Jewish pastry. It was already baked in Spain and Portugal in the Middle Ages and ended up in Amsterdam via the Jews. It is a soft dough pastry with a ginger paste filling and a crispy, sugared top. If you have a sweet tooth, you absolutely must try this typical Amsterdam food.
Koggetjes are thin, buttery biscuits with pieces of nougatine in them. They originated at a baking competition in 1934, where the assignment was to come up with a new cookie for the city of Amsterdam.
You can order it in any real Amsterdam pub: a kopstootje. A kopstootje (headbutt) consists of a glass of lager with a glass of young genever next to it. Don't drink too much of it, as it lives up to its name.
Have you tasted all typical Amsterdam food and do you want more? The Netherlands has much more delicious food to taste. Did you like the croquette? Order a portion of bitterballen, the small round version of the croquette. Poffertjes are the Dutch mini-version of the pancake. They are eaten from a cardboard tray with lots of powdered sugar. Do you like fish? Then try the kibbeling (fried pieces of fish) or a raw herring (loose from the hand or on a soft white bun). Do you fancy something sweet? Then you should definitely try a stroopwafel. This biscuit consists of two thin wafers with a layer of syrup in between, which becomes nice and soft when you place the stroopwafel on your cup of coffee or tea.
And then there is the cone of fries, a snack that you see on the street in every Dutch city, especially in Amsterdam. A paper cone filled with thick chips and a thick dollop of mayonnaise on top. Do you order a ‘patatje oorlog’? Then you get your fries with mayonnaise, peanut sauce and chopped raw onions. Not a fan of peanut sauce? Then choose a ‘patatje speciaal’, fries with mayonnaise, curry or ketchup and chopped raw onions.
Would you like to taste the local specialties of Amsterdam? Then book a local private guide from Aroundfriends. Our guides know exactly where to find the best food.