3 weird Dutch food ‘things’ that will make you cry/laugh

Since we’ve run out of puns to make on the Dutch weather, it’s time to tackle some other gems of the lovely culture here in the lowlands: our f-ed up culinary traditions!

Sure we all like a stroopwafel, or some cheese, one by one. But not at the same time. Anyways, here are 3 things Dutch people do with food, that might make you puke! (Consider yourself warned).

Oh, and if you tried any of these, let us know! (if you’re still alive, that is).

1. Urker fish pie: too disgusting to be true

Ah, the Urker Vistaart, sounds like a wholesome tradition, right? But wait a minute, aren’t fish and pie an unholy combination? And is this actually really a thing?

Weeell, three Dutch high school students once made up a recipe and posted it on Wikipedia in 2009, coining the term “Urker fish pie”. Fast forward a few years later, when 2 Dutch celebrity chefs actually set out to make the thing.

Needless to say, it was going to be disgusting. It had sauerkraut, sausage and mackerel in it. And luckily, it was later exposed for the hoax that it was.

2. Frikandel-speciaal-pannekoek: too much of a good thing?

We have no idea where this one came from, but we all know the Dutch like to throw anything on a pancake. This, however, is something else:

The surprising (or perhaps, sad) thing is, that this terrifying creature has spread to all corners of our tiny kingdom. It’s certainly not for everyone, but to be fair, the frikandel-speciaal-pannekoek is probably the only thing in this article normal people might enjoy.

Eten. De kinderen hebben een #FrikandelPannekoek gekozen. Weer een specialiteit van #Pannekoekenbakker #Zeeland pic.twitter.com/ohB9kbSb

— Geert van Buul (@geertvanbuul) May 20, 2012

3. Herring ice cream: for the brave soul

It’s oldie, but it stays good/disgusting. It might sound too bad to be true, but unfortunately, the herring ice cream was a real thing. The monstrosity could be enjoyed/disgusted at an Ice-Cream parlor in Rotterdam, but it’s unclear if the flavour is still available. Pitty.

Have you tried these weird Dutch food creations? Do you know of any other ones? Tell us in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in July 2017, and was fully updated in August 2022, for your reading pleasure.