Once you’ve sampled some Dutch delights, you’ll be glad of all that cycling.
Food
Cheese
Famous Dutch cheeses include Gouda (mild and creamy), Edam (smooth) and Leiden (with cumin seeds). Many come laced with unusual herbs and spices. Try the nettle cheese with its supposed anti-ageing properties.
Sweet treats
If you take a coffee break at a pavement café while exploring, make sure also put in an order for one of these Dutch delights.
Stroop waffels (syrup waffles) are wafer discs sandwiched with a cinnamon-flavoured syrup. Poffertjes are miniature pancakes drenched in icing sugar and melted butter. Traditional Dutch apple cake has an oozing custard centre between buttery pastry.
Drink
Beer
The Dutch love their beer. Heineken, Amstel and Grolsch are all
famous alcoholic exports, but try a few local brews, particular to some
Dutch areas.
Coffee
If you’re a caffeine addict you’ll love the fierce brew the Dutch
call coffee. If you’re more used to the milky kind, ask for ‘koffie
verkeerd’ (wrong coffee) — wrong according the Dutch because there
should always be more coffee than milk.