page_title: Dutch cuisine
section_title: Special occasions
hierarchical_section_title: Dutch cuisine / Structure of meals / Special occasions
context_page_description: Dutch cuisine is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location in the fertile North Sea river delta of the European Plain, giving rise to fishing, farming, and trading over sea, its former colonial empire and the spice trade.
  Traditionally, Dutch cuisine is simple and straightforward, with many vegetables and little meat: breakfast and lunch are typically bread with toppings like cheese, while dinner is meat and potatoes, supplemented with seasonal vegetables. The diet contains many dairy products and was relatively high in carbohydrates and fat, reflecting the dietary needs of the laborers whose culture molded the country. Without many refinements, it is best described as rustic, though many holidays are celebrated with special foods.
  During the twentieth century, Dutch cuisine and diet changed. Influenced by the eating culture of its colonies, it became more cosmopolitan and most international cuisines are represented in the major cities.
context_section_description: Special occasions call for special foods. The birth of a child is an occasion for serving  beschuit met muisjes (Dutch rusk covered with sugared aniseed).
  The Dutch festival of Sinterklaas is held on 5 December. Saint Nicholas leaves gifts in the children’s shoes. On this occasion, the Dutch drink hot chocolate milk and eat spice cookies, like speculaas. Special treats distributed by Saint Nicholas' aide Zwarte Piet include pepernoten (irregular shaped small cookies made of rye, honey and anise, often confused with kruidnoten); kruidnoten (gingernut-like biscuits but made with speculaas spices: a mix of cinnamon, pepper, cloves, and nutmeg); boterletter or banket (a baked pastry crust filled with a sugared almond paste filling and shaped into a letter); chocolate letters; marzipan (often in the shape of animals or other topical items), borstplaat (discs of fondant); and taaitaai.
  Christmas in the Netherlands is a typical family holiday. Traditionally there is family brunch with kerststol (fruited raisin bread; often filled with almond paste). Christmas dinner is also a family occasion where rollade (a kind of roulade consisting of spiced pork), roast pork, game, or other luxury meat may be served.
  On New Year's Eve, Dutch houses smell of the piping hot oil of deep-fat fryers used to prepare oliebollen and appelbeignets (a kind of apple fritter) – not to be mistaken for the appelflap which is completely different. Also ananasbeignets (pineapple fritter) are considered a treat. Oliebollen are yeast dough balls, either plain or filled with glacé fruits, apple pieces, raisins, and sultanas are served with powdered sugar and are a special treat for New Year's Eve. In the 17th century, Dutch settlers also took their oliebollen to the American colonies, where they are now known in a slightly different form as doughnuts. In Limburg, nonnevotten are sometimes served during New Year's Eve, although it is mostly eaten during Carnival. Around New Years kniepertjes are popular, in particular in the northern provinces.
  On birthdays all kinds of cakes and cookies are eaten, including appeltaart, bokkenpootjes, bossche bol, dikke koek, Fryske dúmkes, gevulde koek (cookies filled with almond meal), Groninger koek, janhagel, jan in de zak, ketelkoek,  krakeling, krentenwegge, kruidkoek, Limburgse vlaai, oudewijvenkoek, peperkoek (gingerbread), rijstekoekje, spekkoek (originally from Indonesia), spritskoek, tompouce, trommelkoek, bitterkoekjes, kletskopje, and stroopwafel.Poffertjes are tiny puffed pancakes served on special occasions, served warm with melting butter and powdered sugar on top. They are mostly combined with a drink: plain milk, chocolate milk, or a yogurt drink. Cafeterias all around the Netherlands sell poffertjes. Dutch people call such a restaurant a poffertjeskraam. Poffertjes can be eaten as a dessert after dinner or as a sweet lunch.
caption: Oliebollen, a Dutch pastry eaten on New Year's Eve
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