Vegetarian Must Eats in Amsterdam
Sinning in Amsterdam
Gouda Cheese
There are cheese shops all around the city, especially around the tourist areas. There is so much to choose from – fresh gouda, 12 month matured gouda, 18 month matured gouda, age being the key factor for goodness (and cost). Then there is a collection of gouda that has been flavoured with herbs and spices, cumin, pepper, chilly flakes, green herbs etc. If you are a cheese connoisseur, welcome to paradise! If you are a newbie, don’t worry, its ok to feel lost …just like we did and so did our taste buds!
Aged gouda cheese
We still don’t know what is the best way to taste cheese! Should we taste various flavours one after another in a row and compare? Should we try different maturities after a few hours of interval? Should wine be our palette cleanser? Amsterdam made us realise that we know nothing about cheese and cheese tasting. We think there is only one simple mantra to it…take a small bite… if you like it… buy a big piece. Then buy a bottle of wine, sit by a canal and enjoy it as you watch the sun go down!
Stroopwafles
The Belgian waffles are famous world over as warm squares of sweet goodness. People tend to assume that the Dutch waffles would be similar, but they are not. The typical Dutch waffles are called stroopwafles and are very different from their Belgian cousins. They are made in a special waffle press and are like thin large biscuits, sandwiched by a gooey caramel syrup.
Stroopwafles… so Dutch!
The best stroopwafle is freshly made, straight off the specialised waffle maker, warm and chewy, the caramel slightly runny. We think that the best way to have the stroopwafle is with a warm cup of coffee latte. If you don’t have the inclination and time to get yourself a freshly made waffle, pick up a packet from any super market. Keep a stroopwafle on a steaming cup of coffee and let the steam warm it for a minute. Then turn the side and wait for another minute. Two minutes are enough to make the caramel soft again…luscious, melt in the mouth goodness!
Sitting on my coffee mug…
French Fries
Can we call them ‘Dutch fires’, just because we are writing about Amsterdam? Maybe, we shouldn’t bother because the French fries originated in Belgium. Did they? Or didn’t they? The debate is on between the French and the Belgians!
Ahhh… sinfully delicious French fries!
We loved having French fries from small outlets across the city, mostly at Dam Square. They were always perfectly cooked – crisp from the outside and soft and warm from the inside. Making perfect French fries is an art and I am sure that many foodies will agree to it. Try the fries with some garlic sauce… it was my favourite!
Apple Pie/Apple Bol
Even if you do not have a sweet tooth, try the apple pie in Amsterdam. It isn’t cloyingly sweet. It has just the perfect amount of sugar to satiate your sugar craving. Soft apple, flavoured with cinnamon, wrapped in flaky pastry and dusted with sugar… top it with some custard sauce and dig in! While the apple pie is easily available in Amsterdam, we tasted another version the pie, called the ‘Apple Bol’ in La Place, a restaurant at Dam Square. Since then, I have seen La Place at numerous locations, including in Bali, but no where have I seen them have the ‘Apple Bol’ on the menu. I loved it so much that it took quite some effort to share it with Ankur. It is a must have treat if you are in Amsterdam!
Apple Bol at La Place
Are there any other Dutch vegetarian delights that one should try when in Amsterdam? Help us add to our list – another trip to Amsterdam is on the cards!
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I am not a vegetarian, BUT…. all of these places look so delicious! I would like to visit them all. Especially in AMsterdam, a city always in the move!
AHHHH I so wish I had this before going to Amsterdam. I’m like 80% vegetarian (I eat some fish and some white meat occasionally) and feel like Amsterdam is full of food for meat eaters. Saving this for next time!
What I thought was crazy was while in Amsterdam and a lot of Europe actually, they love french fries and eat them as an afternoon snack with like mayo and ketchup! Even in Brussels they ate them with Mussels haha. I am not vegetarian but I do love all of these! ESPECIALLY the cheese. I’m a sucker for it.
I enjoyed ALL of these things while in Amsterdam, yum! The one ‘snack’ they like that I don’t is herring…
Isn’t it great that you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetarian food? So many delicious dishes are vegetarian and those you have listed here all look so yummy! Cheeses and Apple Pie are old favorites for many but I would just love to try the stroopwafle freshly baked!
All this food makes me feeling hungry and ready for a trip to Amsterdam, (even if I’m not vegetarian at all), especially for that wonderful Apple pie. It should be amazing strolling along the channel of Amsterdam which are so rich of blooming trees during spring and having a break on a bench eating a slice or two of apple pie.
This is the first time that I have read about the difference between the Belgian and Dutch waffles. I like them both. I like gouda cheese too. You should feature more vegetarian foods.
I’m not vegetarian but I do like a good vegetarian meal and I tried to go meatless a couple times a week. I’m also headed to Amsterdam this fall! The timing of this is perfect. Thank you, hopefully I’ll be able to check out a couple of these places!
I had fries in Amsterdam and in Belgium, and they both make some wickedly good fries! There was always lines to get them, so had to try them out. Worth the wait to get them! We had some gouda cheese from a cheese platter, which was pretty darn good. Didn’t try anything else on here but did eat a lot of different things!