Chapter · Borrelhapjes

Borrel & Fried Snacks

The Dutch drinks table: bitterballen and kroketten, cheese and mustard, frikandel and the deep-fried canon.

Holland

Kalfskroket (Veal Croquette)

Kalfskroket

The genteel elder of the Dutch croquette — a delicate veal ragout set with a hint of nutmeg, breaded and fried pale gold, the café-terrace bite with mustard.

75 minAdvanced

Gerookte Makreeldip (Smoked Mackerel Dip)

Borrel

Holland

Gerookte Makreeldip (Smoked Mackerel Dip)

Gerookte Makreeldip

A smoky North Sea borrel dip — flaked smoked mackerel folded with crème fraîche, lemon, horseradish and dill, spread on rye toast or scooped with crudités.

15 minBeginner

Borrel

Holland

Zure Bommen (Giant Dill Pickles)

Zure Bommen

The snackbar's "sour bombs" — big whole cucumbers brined with dill, garlic and mustard seed until crunchy and sharp, the classic bite alongside fried Dutch snacks.

25 minBeginner

Leverworst op Roggebrood (Liver Sausage on Rye)

Borrel

Holland

Leverworst op Roggebrood (Liver Sausage on Rye)

Leverworst op Roggebrood

Soft Dutch liver sausage on dense dark rye — a butcher's-counter borrel classic topped with mustard, pickle or a slick of appelstroop, sliced thick and unfussy.

15 minBeginner

Borrel

Holland

Kaasplankje (Dutch Cheese Board)

Kaasplankje

A Dutch cheese board built around aged Gouda and cumin Leidse — how to choose, age and plate the nation's cheeses with mustard, syrup and rye for the borrel.

20 minBeginner

Atjar Tjampoer (Pickled Vegetable Relish)

Borrel

The Indies at Home

Atjar Tjampoer (Pickled Vegetable Relish)

Atjar tjampoer

A bright turmeric pickle of crisp vegetables in a sweet-sour brine — the Indonesian acar that cuts the richness of the Dutch-Indo rijsttafel.

40 minBeginner

Borrel

Holland

Gehaktballetjes (Cocktail Meatballs)

Gehaktballetjes

Small spiced Dutch meatballs for the borrel — juicy gehakt bound with rusk and nutmeg, browned and served warm on cocktail sticks with mustard.

40 minBeginner

Borrel

Holland

Berenhap (Meatball & Onion Skewer)

Berenhap

The "bear bite" — a snackbar skewer of fried gehaktbal and raw onion, drenched in satésaus, the Dutch peanut sauce, and eaten straight from the stick.

50 minBeginner

Borrel

The Indies at Home

Serundeng (Toasted Spiced Coconut)

Serundeng

Grated coconut toasted slowly with a spice paste until golden and crunchy — the fragrant Indonesian condiment scattered over rice and saté on the Dutch-Indo table.

45 minBeginner

Borrel

The Indies at Home

Loempia (Indo-Dutch Spring Rolls)

Loempia

Crisp fried spring rolls packed with cabbage, beansprouts and pork — the Chinese-Indonesian snack that became a Dutch market and snackbar fixture.

60 minIntermediate

Borrel

Holland

Vlammetjes (Spicy Mini Spring Rolls)

Vlammetjes

Little "flames" — crisp mini spring rolls with a fiery sambal-spiced filling, a Chinees-Indisch snackbar favourite served with sweet chilli for the borrel.

55 minIntermediate

Filet Américain (Dutch Steak Tartare Spread)

Borrel

Holland

Filet Américain (Dutch Steak Tartare Spread)

Filet Américain

The Dutch broodje staple — seasoned raw beef whipped smooth with egg yolk, capers and mustard into a soft, spreadable tartare for rye, rolls and the borrel.

20 minIntermediate

Osseworst (Amsterdam Spiced Raw Beef Sausage)

Borrel

Holland

Osseworst (Amsterdam Spiced Raw Beef Sausage)

Ossenworst

Amsterdam's lightly smoked raw-beef sausage, spiced with clove, mace and pepper in the VOC style — sliced soft onto rye or bread as a butcher's borrel bite.

40 minAdvanced

Borrel

Groningen

Eierbal (Groningen Deep-Fried Egg)

Eierbal

Groningen's proud snackbar oddity — a whole boiled egg wrapped in savoury ragout, breaded and deep-fried, split open and eaten with mustard or piccalilli.

70 minIntermediate

Borrel

Zeeland

Garnalenkroketten (Shrimp Croquettes)

Garnalenkroketten

Zeeland's finest croquette — sweet North Sea brown shrimp bound in a delicate bisque ragout, breaded and fried, served with lemon and deep-fried parsley.

75 minAdvanced

Borrel

Holland

Kaasstengels (Cheese Straws)

Kaasstengels

Crisp, savoury cheese straws of buttery pastry and aged Gouda — the tidy borrel bite passed round with a cold glass, snapping cleanly and gone in two.

40 minBeginner

Borrel

Noord-Brabant

Frikandel (Dutch Fried Sausage)

Frikandel

The Netherlands' most-eaten snack — a smooth, skinless minced-meat sausage deep-fried dark, split and loaded with mayo, curry and onion as a frikandel speciaal.

40 minIntermediate

Kaassoufflé (Fried Cheese Soufflé Snack)

Borrel

Holland

Kaassoufflé (Fried Cheese Soufflé Snack)

Kaassoufflé

The snackbar's molten heart — a slab of Dutch cheese sealed in crisp breadcrumb, deep-fried until it billows and the centre runs to stretchy gold.

35 minBeginner

Saté Ajam (Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce)

Borrel

The Indies at Home

Saté Ajam (Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce)

Saté ajam

Skewered marinated chicken grilled over fire and drenched in a warm peanut sauce — the Indonesian satay that became the star of the Dutch rijsttafel and snackbar alike.

55 minIntermediate

Borrel

Holland

Bitterballen (Crisp Ragout Croquettes)

Bitterballen

The crown of the Dutch borrel — crisp breadcrumbed spheres of slow-cooked beef ragout that ooze when you bite them, served with sharp mustard and cold beer.

70 minIntermediate

Borrel

Holland

Kroketten (Beef Ragout Croquettes)

Kroketten

The crisp-shelled Dutch croquette — a slow beef ragout set firm, breaded, and deep-fried, eaten from a paper cone with mustard or crammed onto a soft roll.

70 minIntermediate