The Last Fun Fact Friday
Fun Fact Friday: all the trivial tidbits you never wanted to know - but will now use to impress your friends and family - about the Netherlands.
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Today's Fun Fact (Friday 15 June 2012)
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
It’s here. The last official day of English broadcasting on Radio Netherlands Worldwide. So, as we say goodbye, we thought we’d give you a little primer on the many, many ways to say farewell in Dutch.
Even though we’re all good friends by now, we’ll start off with the most formal options: Goede- / dag / avond / nacht / weekend. Meaning “Good day / evening / night / weekend, this can be used with both friends and colleagues, but tends to be a bit more formal. In this situation, “goede” can also be replaced by “prettige”, meaning “nice” instead of “good”.
Now for the many more casual ways to say toodle-oo:
Tot ziens! – Literally meaning “until seeing”, is generally translated as “see you later”.
Dag – Pronounced DUGH (with a guttural G), this word can be said quickly as one syllable or “sung” across two notes as two syllables (DUH-ugh). It literally means “day” and is also considered quite informal, especially when “sung”.
Doeg – Pronounced DOOG (with a guttural G), this seems to be halfway between Dag and our next entry Doei; it’s unclear whether doeg came first and evolved further into doei or not.
Doei – Pronounced DOO-ee, this is typically used informally between friends.
Doe – pronounced DOO, or as two syllables, DOO-oo, this seems to be from people who are too lazy to put an “ee” or guttural G on the end of the word, but are still able to manage two syllables. Hmm.
Note: All of the above can be double up. The most common of these would have to be the “double-doei”, doe-doe (pronounced DOO-doo, yes, as in the children’s word for doggie poop) which is almost always sung in a girly way and involves wiggling one’s fingers in a sort of fake girly-girl wave. But people also say dag-dag and doeg-doeg. And some even combine them into doe-doei (pronounced DOO-doo-ee).
Another note: It seems to be more and more acceptable to combine almost any bunch of vowels together and sing them into a sort of consonant-less goodbye: OOeeee!
Hoi – Pronounced more like OY, with just the faintest hint of a soft H, this can also be doubled up and can be used as both hello and goodbye.
Houdoe / Hoidich – These variants – pronounced HOW-do and HOY-dich (with a guttural ch) – both come from the southern part of the country. It’s believed that they mean something like “take care” – houd meaning “hold” and oe / dich coming from the word jou / u or the German dich meaning “you”.
And, finally, many Dutch people have taken the Jewish expression for good luck or congratulations Mazel tov and turned it into de mazzel – or just mazzel – and turned it into yet another way to say “goodbye”.
And so, as we wave and double-doei and blow farewell kisses your way, you now know exactly what we’re saying… and what to say back. Good bye, and thanks for tuning in.
Past Fun Facts 2012 (in alphabetical order)
A cow says...
A dog says woof and a cat says meow, right? Well, that depends where you are. Actually, meow is one of the more consistent onomatopoeic animal sounds – cats also miauw in Dutch, miaou in French, mjau in Albanian, niaou in Greek, and nyaa in Japanese. And, similar to its English counterparts, a Dutch dog also says woef (rhymes with goof, not book), or waf waf (vuff vuff).
But, head over to the barn and things start to get a little spooky. Consider the koe (cow), for example, who surprises listeners by saying boe (pronounced boo)! A horse, on the other hand, doesn’t have a word for the sound it makes, just a verb for making that sound - een paard hinnikt (HINNikt) – a horse whinnies.
Over by the pond, one might hear a vis (fish) saying blub (pronounced blup) and a frog saying kwak kwak (pronounced kvuck kvuck). Interestingly, this is the same sound a Dutch duck makes - perhaps evidence of interspecies communication?
Presiding over the farm, the Dutch rooster – haan – will wake you bright and early with a crow of kukelekuuuuu (pronounced COO-coo-luh-COO) while, pecking around below, the chickens will say tok tok– cluck cluck – and the turkeys confuse things by saying klok klok. And neither bird knows how to ‘squawk!’, even when a snake slithers in and sist… (not to be confused with slist – to speak with a lisp!)
Finally, burrowing down in the hay, the tiny mouse makes a piep (pronounced peep), while, far above in the sky, the bird soars overhead - also saying piep - as she zingt (sings) or fluit (whistles) her pretty song.
April showers bring May flowers
Almost every English speaker knows that April showers bring May flowers and that if March comes in like a lion it'll go out like a lamb. Similarly, most Dutchies have heard the phrase Maart roert zijn staart, april doet wat hij wil (March shakes its tail, April does what it likes).
What most Dutchies don't know is the ending to that particular little rhyme: en mei doet er ook nog wat bij(and May adds a little something extra)... and that this short phrase is only one of 40+ expressions about the month of May alone! In fact, there are well over 300 monthly weather-related sayings in Dutch. Here are a few of the more common ones (or the ones we found funniest!).
Maartse regen, brengt geen zegen - March rain brings no blessings
Juni: Boeren maaien nu hun grasjes, stedelingen pakken hun terrasjes - June: While farmers mow their grass, city-dwellers sit on a terrace
Februari muggendans, geeft voor maart een slechte kans - If in February the mosquitoes dance, March doesn't have much of a chance
De heren en aprillen, bedriegen wie ze willen - Men and April, deceive whoever they like
De vrouwen en aprillen, ze hebben beide hun grillen - Women and April, they're both fickle
Als met Kertsmis de muggen zwermen, kunt je met Pasen uw oren wermen - If the mosquitoes swarm in December, you can warm your ears by Easter
And, just for good measure, here are another few funny non-month-related weather expressions:
Avondrood, mooi weer aan boord, morgenrood, regen (of: water) in de sloot - Literally: Red sunset, nice weather onboard; red sunrise, rain (or water) in the ditch. The English version: Red sky at night, farmers delight; red sky in the morning, farmers take warning
Als de kikvors snatert in het hoge riet, gaat het regenen - of niet - If the frog croaks in the tall reeds, it will rain, or not
Find more monthly weather sayings here (in Dutch)
Blikvanger:
Have you ever cycled in the Netherlands and come across a strange object next to the cycle path which I can best describe as a pole with something resembling a fish net attached to it? It’s called a blikvanger, which literally means an 'eyecatcher'.
It certainly catches the eye, but here it has another meaning. It’s a play on words: blik (beverage can) and vanger (catcher), a rubbish bin for beverage tins. The idea is that cyclists can throw their rubbish into the net without having to get off their bike.
Jokingly it is said this invention to prevent street litter works because it appeals to the genetically determined desire of men to score... And is it any use for the women? Not according to the men, as women supposedly can’t throw...
Canta car
Along with all the clog and tulip photos that most tourists bring home from the Netherlands, many will also have a shot of themselves looking very large standing next to a comically small car. The car – called a Canta – looks almost like an oversized toy (if you thought Smart cars were small, think again!), but to the Dutch disabled population they’re an indispensible tool.
Developed by the Dutch company Waaijenberg to “guarantee mobility and independence for disabled people”, the Canta has the added - and likely unintended - benefit of being the rather hilarious photo-op subject for tourists. There's even a blog Hunt for the little red car (in Dutch) with an accompanying Flickr group (though only red Cantas are allowed - despite the fact that the car also comes in green, white and silver).
At 1.28 metres long, 1.10 metres wide, and 1.63 metres tall, the Canta is actually smaller than the average golf cart. But it still manages to fit two people – just – and has a tiny space for “luggage” (such as a really thick book or newspaper for the journey) behind the seats.
Because the Canta is considered a disabled vehicle, it can be driven on bicycle paths (to the annoyance of almost all cyclists), roads (not highways), and, yes, pedestrian walkways. In addition, it can be driven without a license (despite a blazing top speed of 45 kmh), and can be parked almost anywhere (usually in the most convenient location - for the driver, at least: the sidewalk).
The only disadvantage appears to be the price – Cantas start at about 12,000 euros. For another seven grand you can get the top model which includes not only the incredibly powerful 200 cc engine (the entry-level model boasts 160 cc), but a hydraulic lift, allowing the driver to roll right in with their wheelchair (ok, the bit about the engine was sarcastic, but the lift? That's cool!). Luckily, most Dutch disabled people can get a subsidy to help pay for transportation. And the second-hand market for these little speed demons is booming.
Dutch ❤ beer
As the weather warms and outdoor terraces open, it becomes more and more obvious: the Dutch love their bier (beer). Ok, maybe not quite as much as their neighbours the Germans or the Brits, but they can certainly hold their own.
The Dutch tend to prefer pale lagers, especially Heineken and Grolsch, which are exported globally. In fact, Heineken is the world's third-largest brewer and has around fifty percent of the Dutch market.
Luckily for beer drinkers around the world, the Dutch don’t mind sharing their expertise; the Netherlands exports the largest proportion of beer in the EU - approximately 60% of production. In 2009, almost 1.5 billion litres were exported out of a total production of 2.5 billion litres.
That said, the Dutch don’t do badly themselves. While they can't compare to the Czechs - who pounded back an impressive 159.3 litres of beer per person in 2009 - or the Germans - who followed distantly with 109.6 litres per person, the average Dutch drinker managed to gulp down a respectable 72.8 litres - only slightly less than their pub-loving neighbours in the UK (who consumed 75.8 litres).
That 72.8 litres works out to approximately seven glasses of beer per week for Henk en Ingrid and they generally agree it goes best with traditional Dutch food... or Chinese! Not so much with French or Japanese food. (Perhaps meneer would prefer a little wine with his cordon-bleu? And a little sake with your sushi mevrouw?)
Of course, none of that is terribly surprising if you know that only 25% of beer in the Netherlands is consumed with food of any kind (no stats on the rates of beer goggles, drunk dialing, or black outs!).
One thing about the Dutch, they don’t like to drink alone. In 2010, if given their choice of footballers, most Cloggies would choose to crack open a cold one with Dirk Kuyt. Fellow footie stars Mark van Bommel and Robin van Persie would be good backups. And if a politician asked them out for a biertje? Most Dutch would be hoping to chill with Geert Wilders (of right-wing PVV party fame)… or his opposite in pretty much every way, Femke Halsema (former head of the Green Left party)!
Oh, and 25% of Dutch beer drinkers believe that consuming their favourite beverage can have a positive effect on one‘s health.
Proost! (Cheers, for you non-Dutchies!)
The etiquette of birthday parties
Imagine you show up at a verjaardag – a birthday party. Everybody is sitting on chairs arranged around the edge of the room, making polite conversation. When you enter the room, everybody looks up expectantly. You panic: what are you meant to do?? Luckily someone whispers in your ear that you’re meant to go around the circle of verjaardagsvisite (guests – many of whom will only be seen on this annual occasion), shaking hands and introducing yourself to all the strangers, triple-kissing anybody you know reasonably well, and congratulating family members and close friends on the birthday of the guest of honour (or, as you're an outsider and likely won't know who's related and who's not, congratulating everybody!).
Have you landed on Mars? Nope, just somewhere in the Netherlands.
After this, you’ll be handed a plate with a – single – slice of cake (most likely slagroomtaart – whipped cream cake), as well as a cup of coffee (which will have been poured while you ran the birthday gauntlet). You will be expected to balance these on your knees as all the tables have been removed to make room for more chairs.
And woe unto you if you thought that giving birthday presents was just for kids. If you’re invited to a Dutch birthday party, you’d better bring a gift, even if it’s just a bunch of flowers (though beware, yours will not be the only offering of the sort, so be prepared to be outdone by the birthday boy or girl’s rich auntie). And, just in case you were thinking of something saucy, know that the gift will be unwrapped within moments of your arrival – in front of anybody who happens to be present.
The party is a real success if people stay long enough to get drunk and possibly even switch chairs once or twice (though this can also happen if one guest goes to the toilet just as another arrives, so not all chair-switching should be considered a positive party sign).
But what if *you’re* the lucky “Jarige Job” or Jet (Birthday Boy or Birthday Betty)? Well, for starters, you better not forget to trakteer – treat – your colleagues (no, it’s not just for schoolchildren) to some kind of sweets on the actual day (but don’t worry, nobody expects it to be homemade).
And when it comes time to throw your own party, a word of warning: if you stick to the formula above, don’t expect to have time to talk to your guests (*if* you can manage to snag an empty seat that isn’t next to your creepy Ome Kees (Uncle Larry)) as you will be too busy running back and forth serving them coffee and cake.
And don’t ever ask a Dutch person what they think about the birthday tradition. If they say they like it, they’re lying – though most won’t bother denying, if pressed, that they hate the whole boring thing. But don’t even think about trying to avoid celebrating your birthday: it’s just One Of Those Things That Must Be Done.
Fairytale characters
The stories and characters we grow up with are part of what defines us… which makes it very strange to find out that people from other places grew up with the same heroes and heroines, but with very different names.
So, for example, when a little Dutch girl says she wants to be just like Assepoester (pronounced USS-eh-poo-ster), most English speakers just smile and nod, assuming it's a Dutch princess. Only when translated – as means ash and poesten is an old word meaning “to blow” – does it become apparent that Assepoesteris the Dutch version of Cinderella.
Sleeping Beauty shares a similar fate, being mysteriously renamed Doornroosje (pronounced Dorn-ROSE-yeh and meaning “little thorn rose”). Or perhaps it’s not so mysterious - the vines that grow over her castle while she is asleep are all roses. In fact, in Dutch a child or a woman slaapt als een roos – which literally means "sleeps like a rose" but really means to sleep soundly – and, after a long day in the sunshine, a Dutch person could feel rozig – literally rosy, but in this sense it means sleepy.
And Disney's princesses aren’t the only ones who’ve been culturally converted - Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie become Kwik, Kwek and Kwak. And, apparently, when a fourth nephew occasionally makes an appearance, he’s named Kwok!
From neighbouring Belgium comes Tintin and his dog Snowy (Milou in the original French version). In the Netherlands, Tintin loses his French name and becomes Kuifje (pronounced a bit like COW-fyuh and referring to the characteristic shape of his hair) and his dog becomes Bobbie (apparently going from a girl dog to a boy dog in the process!).
One of Roald Dahl’s most famous – and best-loved – characters also gets a makeover in Dutch – as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory becomes Sjakie (pronounced SYAHK-ee)!
But it's not just the Dutch who convert foreign fairytale names - a couple Dutch classics have made it out to The World and have also been renamed to be a little more palatable to - or pronounceable for - their new international audience.
For example, the ever-popular Dutch children’s characters Jip and Janneke (pronounced Yip and YAHN-uh-kuh), have been translated into multiple languages, multiple times… which is why, in English, they might be known as Mick and Mandy, Bob and Jilly, or Jip and Janneke (surely mispronounced by most readers!).
But surely the strangest example is Nijntje Konijntje. This little rabbit – pronounced NINE-chuh koh-NINE-chuh in Dutch – becomes "Miffy"! How the translator came up with THAT one is a total mystery.
Fierljeppen
The Dutch love their football (soccer, to North Americans), but it can hardly be called a Dutch invention. Not that the Dutch haven’t come up with a sport or two of their own, perhaps the most notable – and certainly the most typically Dutch – of which is fierljeppen (pronounced FEER-lyep-pen). What could be more Dutch that a sport that involves leaping over canals?
The word fierljeppen come from Friesland, in the north of the country, but the sport is also known as polsstokverspringen (pronounced POLE-stock-FAIR-spring-uh, literally meaning "wrist-stick-far-jumping”), slootje springen (pronounced SLOW-tyuh spring-uh, literally meaning “ditch jumping”) and, in Groningen, bongelwuppen (BONG-gle-vup-pen, literally meaning “bat jumping”).
Very simply, the sport is a sort of variation on pole vaulting where, instead of leaping over a bar, the person leaps over a body of water. The pole, which is between 8-13 metres long, has a flat round plate at the bottom to prevent it from sinking into the muddy bottom of a canal or river. Essentially, the contender must run to the pole (polsstok) and jump up and grab onto it, using it to fly over a ditch / canal / other body of water.
Real pros – yes, there are serious polsstokspringers – will climb up the pole (not allowed in traditional pole vaulting – polsstokspringers sometimes wear a piece of rubberwrapped around one foot for better grip) while flying forward in order to get as far as possible. Once over the water, the contender must then leap off the pole and land, usually in a sand pit, where the total jumping distance is measured.
It’s no surprise that ditch-vaulting is believed to have originated with farmers who used poles to leap over small water drainage canals to get from one field to another. The first known official competition was held on 24 August in 1767 in Baard (Friesland).
Though it’s not exactly a professional sport, official annual competitions are organised by the Nederlandse Fierljepbond (Dutch Far-leaping Union). The current overall record holder is Bart Helmholt from Hurdegaryp (Friesland), who flew an impressive 21.51 meters during the 2011 Dutch Championships.
Heat waves and cold snaps
The Netherlands is a temperate country, with an average temperature range of less than 15 degrees. Even when you consider the average maximums/minimums, the range is only 22.6 degrees - the average summer maximum is only 22.8 degrees and, at 0.2, the average winter minimum isn't even below freezing!
But, occasionally, things do get a little more extreme. The highest temperature recorded by the Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (Royal Meteorological Institute or KNMI) between 1901 and 2010 was a roasting 38.6, while the lowest was a very chilly -27.4.
But even that snikhete (sweltering) 38.6 day might not have constituted a hittegolf - heatwave. Though the Dutch will often refer to any stretch of 25+ degree weather as a heat wave, officially a heat wave requires at least five days in a row of zomerse dagen (summer days - above 25 degrees) with at least three tropische dagen (tropical days - above 30 degrees), as measured in De Bilt.
Statistically, heat waves happen approximately every three years, though the last year the Netherlands had a heat wave was 2006 - and there were two that summer!
By-the-way, if you're looking for a few more Dutch words to refer to the (rare) extremes, here are a few:
HOT
Bloedheet - literally "blood hot"
Smoorheet - literally "braising hot" - often translated as sweltering, not used very often
Snoeiheet - literally "pruning hot", not used very often
Verzengende hitte - literally "torrid heat" - often translated as scorching hot
COLD
IJskoud - ice cold
Stervenskoud - literally "dying cold" - often translated as freezing cold
Steenkoud - stone cold
Highs and lows
Nederland – literally “low land” – came by its name honestly: almost a quarter of the country is actually below sea level. In fact, 21% of the population lives below sea level and only half of the country is more than one metre above it!
So the Dutch are pretty sensitive to water levels. Which is probably why, way back in 1684, theAmsterdamse Peil (Amsterdam level) was created. The measurement originally marked the average summer flood level of Amsterdam’s IJ harbor but was later corrected and renamed the Normaal Amsterdams Peil (which you’d think would be translated literally as the “Normalized Amsterdam Level”, but is technically translated as the "Amsterdam Ordnance Datum").
By the 1970s, the measurement had been taken on by most European countries - with the noted exception of the Netherlands’ southern neighbours, Belgium, where the level is 2.33 metres lower!
The lowest point in the Netherlands is 6.76 metres below NAP near Nieuwekerk aan den Ijssel. That means, without all the dykes, polders and other Dutch water management systems, this point would be usually be under almost seven meters of water!
The highest point in the Netherlands is technically on the Dutch island of Saba in the Caribbean (Mount Scenery is 877 metres high), but, within the Dutch mainland, the highest point is “Mount” Vaalserberg at a towering 322.7 metres above NAP. The hill, located in the southernmost part of the country, is also known as Drielandenpunt ("three country point") because Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands all come together at this point.
IJsvrij:
Perhaps because it rarely happens more than once a year - and often only for a week or so - the Dutch get very excited about freezing weather. Not because they enjoy biking through snow and ice (though they do) but because freezing weather means frozen canals, and that means schaatsen - skating!! Even better, it probably means skating outdoors on natuurijs - natural ice.
The experience of enjoying activities on ice - ijspret - is so cherished by the Dutch that schools and businesses will sometimes even give students and employees the day off in a sort of Dutch version of a "snow day" - ijsvrij. The Dutch will tell you the closures are for "safety reasons" and that people shouldn't travel in to work... but they all find a way to travel out to the nearest - or prettiest - strip of frozen water to strap on their skates... and will unabashedly rave about it when they're back at work.
Here is a short video clip from a classic Dutch TV show that anyone who grew up in the Netherlands before 1990 will likely find hilarious.
Koek-en-zopie
Koek-en-zopie is a traditional Dutch winter snack usually served from kiosks set up beside frozen canals or lakes where locals have come together for ijspret - activities on ice.
The term, pronounced kook (rhymes with Luke, not book) en ZOH-pee, has come to include almost any kind of warm soup or beverage served canalside, especially erwtensoep (split pea soup, also known by the not-so-appetising name snert), hot chocolate, or glühwein (wine that has been warmed with spices and orange juice and sweetened with sugar or honey). Many people even believe that "zopie" comes from the word soep (soup).
But koek-en-zopie actually refers to a gevulde koek (a large, round, butter cookie filled with almond paste) served with zopie - a traditional hot alcoholic drink. If you're hoping to do a little skating on natuurijs (natural ice), here's a list of organised skating tours / races around the Netherlands. Since we can't guarantee that they'll all have koek-en-zopietentjes (koek-en-zopie stalls), here is a simple recipe to try the next time you're out on the ice (don't blame us if your performance gets worse with every sip!).
Ingredients:
1 litre beer
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 slices of lemon
125 gr (2/3 c) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 dl (1/2 c) rum
Directions:
In a pot, bring the beer - with the cinnamon, cloves, and lemon - to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Combine the sugar and eggs in a bowl.
Add the beer to the egg mixture - stirring to be sure the egg doesn't cook.
Add the rum and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Mierenneuker
It’s official: a Dutch court has just ruled that it’s not a criminal offence to accuse a Dutch police officer of being an ‘ant f**ker’ (mierenneuker). Fear not, 'ant-f***ing' is a literal translation only - the term is simply modern Dutch parlance for what English-speakers might call a hair-splitter or nit-picker: someone who over-analyses things or sticks strictly to every single letter of the law or regulations.
One should point out that neuk generally does not carry the same weight in Dutch as the famous four-letter F-bomb does in English-speaking countries. Nonetheless, the term was offensive enough for the case to go to court. Perhaps the now-exonerated man might have avoided this controversy had he labelled the man in blue a muggenzifter - or 'mosquito sifter' – equally apt and descriptive as the ant-related version and, indeed, the hair-splittingly nit-picking term in English.
But Dutch abuse of creatures great and small does not end there. They also force apes and monkeys into items of clothing which are much too small, only setting them free if and when mysterious things become clearer. The actual phrase is de aap komt uit de mouw (the ape/monkey emerges from the sleeve) which one uses when the true nature of something becomes apparent.
And let’s not forget the cruel practice of forcing microscopic, short-lived flying beasties – by genetic modification perchance – to become massive, lumbering, long-living pachyderms? What? The Dutch phrase goes van een mug een olifant maken, literally to 'turn a mosquito into an elephant'. We English speakers are much kinder, are we not? We simply take a mole hill and make it into a mountain, thereby giving the small, near-blind mammals that much more living space!
Naming names:
It's a common problem for bilingual couples: how to find a baby name that works in both languages? Here are a list of some common Dutch names that just don't work that well in English (and Dutch parents would be well-advised to think seriously about this if they hope their child will ever live in an English-speaking country and actually have a friend or two!).
Girl's names
Joke (Pronounced YOKE-uh)
Jet (Pronounced Yet - which also sounds a bit funny to English ears!)
Bent
Cock
Boy's names
Freek (Pronounced Frayk)
Jerk (Pronounced Yehrk)
Kick
Taco
Harm
Sicco
Wierd (Yes, it's not spelled quite right, but, at a glance, most people will read "weird"...)
Unisex names
Tiny (Pronounced Teeny - which sounds even smaller - and sillier - even when it's pronounced correctly!)
Just imagine writing an email to your girlfriend Bent Jet Fokker (Fokker means "breeder" and is a very common last name in the Netherlands)! Or introducing your rather tall wife Tiny to your boss Joke? Or telling your son Kick not to hurt his little brother Harm? Or explaining to a US customs officer that your name really is Wierd Duk (yes, this is a real name: Wierd Duk is a Dutch journalist!).
Pancakes... for dinner?
The Dutch aren't known for their culinary prowess... but they are known for their pannekoeken(pancakes). In fact, it's said that when Lodewijk Napoleon (younger brother of the better-known Bonaparte) was named king of the Netherlands on 5 June 1806, the people celebrated by instituting Nationale Pannekoekendag (National Pancake Day) - because pancakes were his favourite Dutch food!
These days, Pancake Day seems to be a movable feast that depends a bit on where you are in the Netherlands - often falling in late March but sometimes still celebrated on 5 June.
In the Netherlands it's quite normal to have pancakes for dinner - whether sweet or savoury - and the Dutch even have entire restaurants - pannekoekenhuizen (literally 'pancake houses') - devoted to them, often with surprisingly long and varied menus. If you ever get a chance to visit the kitchen at a pannekoekenhuisje, do - it's a wonder to see the chefs flipping up to four pans of pancakes at a time!
Traditional Dutch pancakes are large and quite thick and come in four main varieties: appel (apple - where the fruit is either served as a compote on top or cooked right into the batter), spek en kaas (bacon and cheese - where the meat is cooked with the batter and the cheese is melted on top), stroop (syrup - served plain with a bottle of Dutch syrup, which tastes a bit like burnt sugar; it's not maple syrup, for pouring on top), or poedersuiker (icing sugar - served with a sprinkling of icing sugar and sometimes a square of butter).
Nowadays, pancakes have branched out - you might see them served with smoked salmon and crème fraiche or even traditional pizza toppings! Check out this video to see how pancakes have changed in the Netherlands and for a recipe to make your own pannenkoeken!
Poffertjes
Rather unsurprisingly, the Dutch have a thing about coming from a small country. Which may explain whypoffertjes – a sort of mini-pancake – are so popular in the Netherlands. Or maybe it’s just because they’re delicious!
In any case, these little pancakes are very popular with the Dutch; a festival wouldn’t be a festival without at least one poffertjeskraam (poffertjes stall). In fact, they’re considered a staple of traditional Dutch cuisine… even though they were originally invented in France!
One funny poffertje fact – if someone calls you a “poffertjesporum” – literally a pancake face – it means you are (or at least look) a little stupid.
Pronounced POFF-er-chez, these little pancakes are usually served in a pile on a small, paper plate, topped with a large curl of butter and covered in powdered sugar. Occasionally stroop – a sort of Dutch cooked sugar syrup – is poured over the whole mess.
Poffertjes are made with yeast – making them much lighter than normal pancakes – and are cooked in a special poffertjespan with small (about 3-4cm across) round indentations. If you happen to be able to get your hands on a poffertjespan and want to make your own, here’s a basic recipe.
Eet smakelijk (enjoy)!
Ingredients:
100 g flour
100 g buckwheat flour
400 ml lukewarm milk or water
1 egg
1 tsp (5 g) dry yeast OR 20 g fresh yeast
½ tsp salt
50 g melted butter
1 tbsp stroop (maple or other syrup can be substituted)
Directions:
If using fresh yeast, dissolve in a little milk – if using dry yeast just add it to the flour as directed later in the recipe.
Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Hollow out the middle and pour the milk / yeast mixture or sprinkle the dry yeast over top.
Adding milk slowly to the dip in the middle of the bowl, stir until combined and smooth. Add the egg, butter, and stroop.
Mix thoroughly - there should be no lumps.
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the batter sit for 45 minutes in a warm place.
Warm the pan on high heat until very hot. Brush butter or other liquid fat or oil into each indent and then pour a small amount of batter into each (until approximately ¾ full).
Reduce the heat to medium and cook the poffertjes until the top is not quite solidified in the middle – at this point they will easily come out of the pan. Flip the poffertjes and cook until the second side is golden brown.
Place poffertjes on a plate, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar, and place a curl of butter on top. If desired, pour stroop (syrup) over the top in a criss-cross (or any other) pattern (there are no rules!).
Serve immediately with a fork.
Stroopwafel
The Dutch enjoy cookies of all types but perhaps the best-known - and best-loved - is the stroopwafel. Translated as anything from treacle waffles to caramel cookies to molasses waffles, this (teeth-achingly) sweet, round treat is usually about 8 cm (a little more than 3 inches) across and is composed of two almost flat "waffles" with a layer of sticky, caramel-like syrup in between.
In the Netherlands, stroopwafels can be purchased in any grocery store or found packaged in decorative boxes at any tourist shop. Extra large versions are often sold hot off the griddle in street markets or at fairs. Nowadays you can find stroopwafel-flavoured ice cream, yogurt, and pudding.
Stroopwafels were first made in Gouda in the early 1800s. Legend has it that baker Gerard Kamphuisen scraped leftover crumbs together with syrup and invented the quintessentially Dutch cookie. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the stroopwafel made its way outside Gouda, but the city remained a stroopwafel stronghold: in 1960 there were 17 stroopwafel factories in Gouda!
Here's a link to a traditional stroopwafel recipe and below is a video celebrating 200 years of stroopwafel-loving! Enjoy...
Symbols of the Netherlands
The Dutch aren’t known as a particularly nationalistic people. Perhaps that’s why there’s no national bird, plant or tree. In fact, even though the tulip is commonly considered to be the Dutch national flower, it isn’t – officially, there isn’t one!
There is, however, a Dutch national animal – the lion (bet you didn’t see THAT coming!). Though one might expect a more local species, there is a perfectly logical reason: the lion is on the Dutch coat of arms. And, according to some well-known historical cartographers, the Netherlands is shaped a little like a lion – but perhaps you should be the judge of that.
Tall, taller, tallest
You've heard of the KLM, right? No, not the airline, the Klub Lange Mensen (Tall People's Club)! Why, you might ask, is there a KLM? The answer is a simple, though little-known fact outside the Netherlands: The Dutch are the tallest people in the world.
With the men averaging 1.837 m (6 ft, 1/2 in), and the ladies 1.693 m (5 ft 6 1/2 in), it’s tough for even a *tall* foreigner (let alone an average or short one) not to feel dwarfed in the Netherlands, especially when standing behind a particularly tall Dutchie at a concert (which inevitably happens!).
Thus Klub Lange Mensen was born. In order to become a member, women must be 1.8 m or taller and men must be over 1.9 m. The club stands up for tall Dutchies everywhere and campaigns for things like bicycles with larger frames and mattresses longer than two metres.
In case you're curious about record-breaking heights, the tallest Dutchman ever was Albert Johan Kramer (1897 - 1976). When he was born, he weighed 8.5 kilos (!!) and, at age seven, he was already 2 metres tall. On his 21st birthday he was 2.28 m. At his tallest, Kramer was 2.42 metres and weighed 250 kilograms.
Just behind Kramer is Rigardus Rijnhout (1922 - 1959) who, at 2.38 m was known at the Reus van Rotterdam (the Giant of Rotterdam). He weighed 230 kg and wore size 62 shoes.
The tallest Dutch woman - and possibly the tallest woman ever - was Trijntje Cornelisdochter Keever. And she was no modern giant - this large lady lived from 1616 - 1633. Nicknamed De Groote Meid (The Big Girl), she was already two metres tall on her ninth birthday. When she died of cancer at age 17 - perhaps not yet full grown - she was 2.54 metres tall.
As for living large, the tallest Dutch man alive is Rob Zwaan at 223.2 cm while the tallest Dutch woman is Martine Balster-van Barneveld at 204 cm.
The 335-year war - the longest conflict without bloodshed!
The world’s longest war without a single victim was between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, off the South-West coast of England. The bloodless war lasted 335 years without a shot being fired and had all but been forgotten about until a peace treaty was signed on 17 April 1986.
The origins of the war lie in the Second English Civil War between the royalists and the parliamentarians (1642-1652). The royalists were forced to retreat to Cornwall, eventually being driven off the mainland to the Scilly Isles.
The United Provinces of the Netherlands were allies of the Parliamentarians and the Dutch navy suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Royalist fleet on Scilly. On 30 March 1651, Dutch Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp arrived on the islands demanding reparations. He received no answer and promptly declared war on the remote islands. A couple of months later the parliamentarians forced the royalist fleet to surrender and the Dutch left without firing a shot.
On signing the peace treaty in 1986, the Dutch ambassador joked that it must have been harrowing to the Scillonians "to know we could have attacked at any moment."
Three Kings' Day (Epiphany):
Epiphany is not widely celebrated in the Netherlands if at all. The 13th day after Christmas (6 January), is marked in some villages in the south of the country.
It is a Christian festival commemorating the visit of the three kings to the baby Jesus. In some towns children dress up as the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Baltazar and sing hoping to get a bit of pocket money or sweets from those listening.
Some families hide a bean in a kind of doughnut (a traditional oliebol eaten around New Year), whoever finds the bean is king for a day and can put decide what the family eats on that evening. Giving rise to the expression heilige boontje (holy bean) for someone who pretends to be better than they actually are.
The final tradition is opening doors and windows on epiphany to let the wind blow through and bless the home. As the old sayings go:
"Open the windows and doors on Epiphany, because the wind brings blessings."
"As the wind blows on Epiphany, it will blow all year." Let’s hope this last saying is not correct because of the stormy weather today.
Nowadays many Dutch people will take down their Christmas decorations on Epiphany and put the Christmas tree outdoors.
The triple kiss
Greetings, especially between people of different cultures, are often tense moments; one person goes in for a big hug while the other extends a stiff handshake; both go for a kiss but can't decide which side and end up crashing in the middle; one stops after a single kiss, leaving the other hanging in mid-air expecting a second, third, or even fourth.
This latter is the most common experience for foreigners in the Netherlands where the norm is drie zoenen(three kisses). Nobody seems to know how or why the triple kiss came about - and it is indeed a little surprising in a people who are otherwise not particularly effusive or overtly physically affectionate - though many suspect it came from the more tactile southern Europeans.
Of course, the Dutch don't kiss complete strangers - usually the first contact will be marked with a firm handshake - or colleagues - when a handshake is also customary. However, if you're faced with a Dutch friend or relative, you should expect three air kisses on both hello and goodbye. Oh, and it's generally best practice when executing the Dutch triple kiss to go right cheek - left cheek - right cheek (preventing smashed noses or inappropriate mid-ground lip meetings!).
Counting kisses customs, compared:
Italy - two kisses
Mexico and Belgium - one kiss
Galapagos - women kiss on the right cheek only
Oman - it is not unusual for men to kiss one another on the nose after a handshake
France - two is the most common, but in the western tip of Brittany it's just one, in Provence three is the norm and in Nantes it's four!
Brazil - one or two kisses depending on the region
United Kingdom, United States, Canada - shake hands or hug between friends, Sometimes one "social kiss" is exchanged
The Netherlands is not alone - in Switzerland, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Egypt three kisses - on alternate cheeks - is the norm
By-the-way, on a very nice kiss-related note: the Dutch word for reconciliation is verzoening - which could be translated as "be-kissing" - a sort of figurative kiss-and-make-up.