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5 meals you shouldn't miss in Rotterdam

Riot·3/14/2016, 5:23:03 PM·0 votes·17,563 views

Rotterdam may be full of sights, sounds and smells to explore during your trip to the EU LCS Finals in April, but we also wanted to spend some time highlighting the various tastes available around the city. The Netherlands is full of different foods that you won't have had the opportunity to try in other parts of the world. Culinary wonders that you shouldn't leave the country without trying.

Stroopwafel

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If you've never tried Stroopwafel, don't let yourself leave Rotterdam without doing so. These may look similar to sweet waffles you've had before, but the secret to the Stroopwafel lies between the layers of baked dough, where you'll find sweet, tasty syrup. This keeps it soft on the inside, while the outside remains crispy. Stroopwafel are sold throughout Rotterdam, in stores as well as on the street, so there'll be plenty of opportunities to try them out and develop an addiction.

Oliebollen

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Oil spheres! This literal translation from the Dutch 'Oliebollen' is a pretty accurate description of this dessert pastry. They're made by dropping balls of dough into a deep fat fryer, which are then extracted and served covered in powdered sugar. Basically, imagine a deep fried hot crossed bun, complete with all the fruity bits you'd come to expect from that, like currants, raisins, saltanas and citrus zest. You can find them sold on the street at special stands, called Oliebollenkraam. Perhaps the most famous of these is Richard Visser's, which stands on the corner of the Heemraadssingel and the Vierambachtsstraat and has been voted to have the best Oliebollen in the Netherlands many times over the years.

Rookworst

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Rookworst actually means "smoke sausage", which is ironic since most rookworst isn't actually smoked nowadays. Instead, smoked aromatics are added to the ground meat and spices to give it that smokey flavour and taste. These make a tasty snack on their own, or as a sandwich filling. You can pick them up in most supermarkets, but the most famous is to be found at HEMA, who boast a 60 year old recipe. You don't keep doing the same thing for that long for no good reason.

Haring en ui

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This is probably the most niche item on the list. Soused herring will likely not be to everyone's taste, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of Rotterdam's most famous foods. There are many ways to eat Dutch herring, but the 'haring en ui' is a specific way of serving the fish, completely raw and covered in chopped onions. The herring will have been soaked in a preserving marinade, involving herbs, spices, cider and wine. The best part of 'haring en ui' is the traditional method of eating. No knives and forks here, instead you'll hold the fish by the tail and dangled into your mouth. You'll find stalls selling it on the roadside, or at the Market Hall, if that sounds like your kind of thing.

Frikandel

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Frikandel is the second sausage on the list, but probably couldn't be much more different from the rookworst. This tasty frankenstein creation contains different types of meat (chicken and pork, traditionally, with sometimes a hint of horse) and has no skin. It's deep fried, which means it's automatically delicious, and served with a curry ketchup or mayonnaise. You can usually get a side of fries to round out the meal from most street sellers.

These aren't the only traditional foods you'll find in Rotterdam, but they're definitely our top five. If you make it through all of those, you may want to hunt down some bitterballen, gouda cheese or chocoladeletters. All of which should be available from street sellers. If you're having trouble tracking down anything on this list, you'll be able to find it all at the Market Hall. Happy eating!

 

26 Comments

Tobbydehuiself 3/15/2016, 9:14:55 AM5 votes

you should try 'kapsalon' when you are in rotterdam. his meal only exist in the netherlands. this is a combination for fries dönner salad onion rings and melted cheese. You have the choice to put sauce over it and believe me you want to do that. It taste amazing and if you dont live in the Netherlands then you probably wont even have the chance to eat such a thing again. it isnt expensive probably around 5/6 euro. note In the Netherlands the dönner is way beter than is most other countries (at least beter than in France, England Germany Spain and Greece cuz i went there and experienced it myself).

David2503Koning3/15/2016, 8:37:14 PM4 votes

Jup Kapsalon is delicious and you can almost buy it everywhere. Its the best you will ever eat

nicemustang3/18/2016, 9:14:46 PM2 votes

Stroomwafels are a must indeed, cheap, tasty, unique easy, just make sure you taste that great stuff! Oliebollen are great, but a new year's eve special, we don't actually eat that all year long, however some specialist stands probably sell them all year round, very fatty but most people like it. Rookworst is easy to pick up on the way, you really should buy in HEMA, those are just legendary. Plus HEMA is a great store, they have all sorts of niche, cheap and fun items. Haring is not for everyone, some people really like it, others don't. However if you do it is probably the best experience of them all. Frikandel we eat so much in the Netherlands. They are great with mayonaise, curry and unions. Typical deep fried meat, fatty but tasty!

But the best thing isn't on the list:

Kapsalon!

Seriously, if you want to eat something for diner, or lunch, or in the middle of the night, or the morging after a good party, it is soo good. Just fries, dönner meat, salad, cheese and a lot of vegetables of your choice. It is all put in 1 tray, it sounds like a mess, but it tastes so incredibly good. It is around 6 euro's and if you order a medium or large it is a full meal. And it is unique for the Netherlands! Just like the stroopwafel this is a must!

Tsukinoo3/15/2016, 3:57:44 PM2 votes

#1 - 20 secs in the microwave before eating. It's delicious. #2 - Traditional snack for New Years Eve. Probably won't be sold anymore in april.

InfernoShot3/22/2016, 10:33:44 AM1 votes

If you're in this beautiful city called Rotterdam, you should ask for a "trap eens in me noten". It's a classic Dutch dish, and it's just amazing! summoner 6 [slayer-jinx-wink]

warpenguin5553/23/2016, 5:48:25 PM1 votes

How did my team mates miss this list?

Duke Anax3/23/2016, 6:13:52 PM1 votes

You have to know the biggest secret about Stroomwafels though: Lay them on a fresh mug of coffee for a few seconds.

It melts the middle layer and adds flavour. Don't overdo it though or they'll get soggy.

Tyalmonivol3/24/2016, 7:59:45 PM1 votes

I really am surprised that 'Kapsalon' is not on this list indeed. Though all items on the list are fairly commen dishes in the Netherlands, The 'Kapsalon' is the most recent invention when it comes to food choices then has been a complete succes. And it really was invented in Rotterdam. Wich i cannot vow for the other dishes. Also I read in a comment before me about 'Erwtensoep' wich translates to fairly well known 'split pee soup'. The Dutch version is significantly different from other national recipies. For example: most of them rest for a full night in de dark outside before beeing served the next day. And it usally has the such a dense cohesion that your spoon will stand up straight in the bowl.

MacJacobus873/28/2016, 12:43:52 PM1 votes

Sidenote, kapsalon isnt a typical Dutch thing, but a typical Rotterdam thing. Invented by a hairdressshop (meaning literally kapsalon) owner at a nearby doner and kebab place. But definitely nice :-)

RazerX4/1/2016, 3:45:34 PM1 votes

Good luck finding oliebollen in April. That's a new year thing.

What an odd list. I was born and raised in Rotterdam and this is not really typical Rotterdam food. nor anything I would advise anyone from a culinary standpoint.

Also the Markthal is a place with International food stands, not specifically Rotterdam or even Dutch. Good place to go though. Very interesting design and lots of food to try and buy. The restaurants there are not that good though, so if you're looking for a place to dine, look elsewhere.

jppeer1234/3/2016, 1:58:41 PM1 votes

What about the 'Kroket'??? You can put it on a 'bolletje' and it's really good!

Reznov Vazileski4/5/2016, 1:08:04 AM1 votes

Few notes on this though...

"Oliebollen" should be purchased by a stand to get the best ones (usually only opened between octoberdecember) because the ones in the market aren't even slightly as tasty. When ordering "Haring" the onions used to be a way to cover the fact the fish wasn't necessarily as fresh as it should be served. In Rotterdam you shouldn't have trouble finding fresh ones though so that shouldn't be a problem. And maybe aside from some chocolate stores "chocolade letters" can only be bought in octoberdecember in celebration of Sinterklaas (sort of christmas but more marketing than religion)

If you look for good fried food google "kwalitaria" and order the "hollandse burger" maybe just add some bacon and onions on it if they aren't already on there and you'll have my first favourite snack :) If you like oliebollen or can't find any, try "Poffertjes". They're not quite similar to oliebollen but they taste damn good with some butter and powdered sugar.

For the one's who enjoy a drink, heiniken might be the most popular amongst tourists but be sure to try Hertog Jan (light beer) or Kasteel (if you like the sweet dark beers) as I've yet to meet a real beerdrinker not liking those. Also we have alot of Belgian beers like Jupiler and La Chouffe which are even better in my opinion, but you can get those in other countries too I suppose.

Very last, enjoy your stay ^_^

ScissorMeWhisker3/14/2016, 7:52:04 PM1 votes

#2 is mostly eaten on New years plus it's super oily. Not a fan of it. You really need a specific liking for the taste of #4. I think it's disgusting, but you may like it. It's kind of like liquorish. You can love it or hate it. The other things i do recommend. I love those things. [:

Conopatrick4/7/2016, 5:32:16 PM1 votes

Oliebollen are not for sale in the summer, or only at very few places. It's a typical new year's food.

Kruppe3/15/2016, 7:46:03 PM1 votes

The Stroopwafels on the streets may be more expensive than those in the stores, but on the streets you get them hot and that makes it soooooo nice.

Also you could ask for crumbs ("kruimels" in Dutch) at those street stands, which literally are the leftover crumbs from making stroopwafels all day. These make for a nice little snack.

Oh and if you're going for Frikandel, take Frikandel Speciaal which has onions and curry and mayonaise.

Gàrraziëm3/19/2016, 4:10:34 PM1 votes

This list is indeed an Amazing list that Riot put together. Kapsalon is something a lot of people enjoy as well but not something you would want to eat every day.

The one thing that I think would have been better to put instead of "oliebollen" is poffertjes.

Poffertjes are amazing and easily obtainable most of the year, the best description would be to call them mini pancakes. HOWEVER they are more delicious and have much more fluffy goodness.

If you want to go for a relatively cheap but nice meal in a "restaurant" look for a "pannenkoekenhuis" or a pancake bakkery in the netherlands. Usually they have a few of those in larger cities and it's basically like a pizza restaurant in Italy only here the main dishes are pancakes, delicious [zombie-nunu-hearts]

For I am King3/19/2016, 10:16:52 PM1 votes

Another great meal is Erwtensoep, Its a thick soup made from split pea's and 'rookworst' (sausage) It's a typically homemade Dutch meal which we often eat throughout the winter. If you have the chance you should definately try it. I'll guaranty that you will not regret it. (Well maybe you will as there might be some gass leakage afterwards... )