The Dutch Language Blog: Language and Culture of the Dutch-Speaking World

Dutch Food: Hutspot

Jan 24 2012

It is finally getting a little colder in the Netherlands and if the weather reports are to be believed, then from Sunday on, it is going to be a whole lot colder. Cold weather is the perfect time to eat one of the all-time favourite Dutch dishes, hutspot.

Hutspot is a dish made from boiled and mashed potatoes (or parsnip when potatoes did not exist in Europe), onion and carrots. It is often served with smoked sausage or smoked bacon.

If you thought hutspot was a bit boring, think again. The history behind the dish is pretty interesting. From Wikipedia:

“According to legend, the recipe came from the cooked bits of potato left behind by hastily departing Spanish soldiers during their Siege of Leiden in 1574 during the Eighty Year’s War, when the liberators breached the dikes of the lower lying polders surrounding the city. This flooded all the fields around the city with around a foot of water. As there were few, if any, high points (and September in the Netherlands is not exactly a warm month), the Spanish soldiers camping in the fields were essentially flushed out.

During the Nazi occupation the dish came to represent freedom from oppression since its ingredients could be grown beneath the soil and thus somewhat hidden from sight, and the carrots gave the dish an orange colour, which represents the Dutch Royal Family.”

Depending on who you talk to, hutspot may also be called Peen en Ui (Carrots and Onion) or Ui en Peen (Onion and Carrots). But however you decide to call it just be careful with your pronunciation. Otherwise you might find yourself with a wireless internet connection (‘hotspot’) instead of the tasty orange dish.

Do you like hutspot?

Body Parts in Dutch

Posted by heather 4 Comments

Jan 23 2012

Photo Credit: CORPUS

Recently I went to the city of Leiden to visit a museum that had been on my “to visit” list for quite some time. The museum’s name is CORPUS and the tagline is “journey through the human body.”

At the museum you move through a large replica body learning how everything inside works via what you are seeing in front of you (imagine large teeth and a beating heart) and the audio guide you are given before the start of your tour (you can choose from Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish Italian, Russian or Chinese).

As you move throughout the museum in small groups, the majority of the information you experience is through the visual bits you are moving around and the information you are listening to but every so often there is a 3D film, comfy chairs or relevant smells (pleasant ones only!). My favourite section was when we were in the nose. The whole room smelt like roses growing outside in spring.

Photo Credit: CORPUS

The whole tour through the body takes about 55 minutes, after which you make your way back down to reception via floors of interactive exhibits, activities and information.

Was it the best museum I had been to? No. Was it interesting? Yes.

The tours run on a time-slot system so if you do book tickets online, you will have to specify a time in advance. For further information visit: http://www.corpusexperience.nl/en/corpus-experience

And in case thinking about the CORPUS museum has you thinking about body words in Dutch, here is a handy list for you.

Body Words in Dutch

de achterwerk/de billen/de kont (butt/behind)
de arm (arm)
de borst (breast/chest)
de buik (stomach)
de duim (thumb)
de hand (hand)
de kin (chin)
de lip (lip)
de middelvinger (middle finger)
de mond (mouth)
de nagel (nail)
de nek/de hals (neck)
de neus (nose)
de pink (pinkie)
de ringvinger (ring finger)
de rug (back)
de schouder (shoulder)
de teen (toe)
de tong (tongue)
de vinger (finger)
de voet (foot)
de wang (cheek)
de wijsvinger (pointer finger)
de wimper (eyelash)
het been (leg)
het haar (hair)
het hoofd (head)
~~het knee (knee)~~ de knie (knee) – thanks Hanneke for spotting the error
het lichaam (body)
het oog (eye)
het ooglid (eyelid)

Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Posted by heather No Comments

Jan 19 2012

“Situated in the bustling heart of Rotterdam, the Maritime Museum Rotterdam is one of the world’s top maritime museums. It was founded in 1874 and is the oldest maritime museum in the Netherlands.” – Maritime Museum Rotterdam website

The Maritime Museum is located in the city centre of Rotterdam, about half way between Central Station and the Erasmusbrug. It is a large building, which apart from the ships behind it (only one of which is actually part of the museum) looks rather plain from the outside. Once inside, you get your ticket, hang-up your coat and head off to explore.

The first stop is the Feel the Rhythm of Rotterdam Port exhibition. In this large room, there is a miniature version of Rotterdam harbour, which lights up. On large screens you see old images of the city and the harbour, all whilst a soundtrack of ship building noises is played. Up one floor and looking in on the exhibition is a row of computers where you can pick your destination and time period by touching the computer screen.

From here you can head upstairs where the more temporary exhibitions are held. These change quite regularly so it is always best to check the website for full details. One of the exhibits when I visited last was called Animals On Board, where you could learn about the animals that were transported between countries, how and why.

However, the best bit in my opinion, of the whole museum is the free entry onto one of the former naval ships dating back from 1868, known as De Buffel (The Buffalo). The ship itself isn’t huge but it does have several levels that you are able to explore. The ship is filled with information (in several languages), has loads of hands on activities and all the areas are kitted out with replica furnishings, realistic sounds and even some costumed mannequins.

All-in-all the Maritime Museum Rotterdam is an interesting museum to visit. Access to the Buffel is via your museum ticket so don’t forget to pick it up at the entrance.

Dutch Superstitions: True or Untrue?

Posted by heather 5 Comments

Jan 12 2012

Tomorrow is the big 13, as in Friday the 13th that is. For many people this date alone fills them with dread and the worry that everything that could go wrong will. But are the Dutch superstitious? This was a question I was thinking about this morning and to be honest, I could not think of a single instance where I have heard of a Dutch person worried about Friday the 13th.

So I headed to Google to see if I could find any answers on the question. While I did find quite a few lists of supposed Dutch superstitions, including the general “don’t walk under a ladder,” there were many, many more that I had never heard of. So, I tried some of them out on my resident Dutchie.

Me: “Should I sing at the dinner table?”

Him: “Well you can but I don’t think it will improve your singing any.”

Me: “No, but would you think I was then singing to the devil for my supper?”

Him: ”Umm, no.”

Me: “Okay, well what about New Years? Is what we are doing on New Years going to be what we do all year?”

Him: “Where are you getting these from.”

So, Transparent Language Dutch readers,, put me out of my misery and tell me what Dutch superstitions you have heard of or believe in. I’m keen to find out. Or, if you are feeling a bit uninspired, here are some of the ones I found when looking around. Have you heard of them before in relation to the Netherlands?

True or Untrue? Some superstitions on the internet that are supposedly valid in the Netherlands:

“Knock knock — come in? Nope! If someone’s at your door, always open it for the guest. Why? Because according to Dutch superstitions, if the door blows open instead, you are inviting the devil inside your home!”
“Speaking of the devil, if you spill salt, not only should you make sure to throw it over your shoulder, but also that it is your LEFT — we want to throw it over the devil’s face!”
“New Years is coming and we all want a strike of good luck, right? Then make sure a dark-haired male is the first person to walk through your front door right after midnight.”
“Dutch superstitions say that whatever you do on New Year’s Day is what you will be doing rest of the year.”
“While Arabs usually utilize the hamza to guard off evil though, according to Dutch superstitions the same “protective” effect is achieved with black paint.”

How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths

Posted by heather 1 Comment

Jan 10 2012

Bikes. They are everywhere in the Netherlands. In 2006, there were more than 17 million bikes in the Netherlands, with 750,000 of those in Amsterdam alone and no doubt that number has significantly increased. With around 91% of households owning at least one bike (and often more than one), it is not hard to see that the Dutch love their bikes.

And why not? Cycling is healthy, easy and cheap. And with over 10,000 kilometres of dedicated bike paths, cycling is also pretty safe. So well thought out are the cycle paths that it would be easy to assume they had almost always been around but that wasn’t the case. The following video gives a really complete and interesting history of how the cycle paths and lanes came about.

Inspired by all the cycling, here is some cycle related vocabulary for you to utilise:

fiets – bike (plural is fietsen)
fietsen – to cycle
fietspad – bike path
snel – fast
langzaam – slow
fietsbel – bike bell
fietstas – bike bag
mand – basket
fietslampen – bike lights
fietslampenset – bike lights set
fietser – someone who rides a bike
bromfiets – motorized bike
bakfiets – sturdy bike modified to incorporate a large wooden box or platform on the front
ligfiets – a bike modified to be ridden in a laying position

And if cycling vocabulary was a little easy for you, then why not check out these bike related idioms. I’ve included both the literal translation and the idiom meaning.

aah op die fiets (literal: oh, on that bike) – Now I get it! Now I see what you mean.
doorfietsen (literal: cycle through) – flip or thumb through
voor elkaar fietsen (literal: cycle for each other) – wrangle, manage
ga fietsen stelen (literal: go steal bikes) – get lost/drop dead
wat heb ik nu aan mijn fiets hangen? (literal: now what’s hanging on my bike) – what kind of mess am I in now? What’s all this?
fietsvriendelijk (literal: bicycle friendly) – pro-bicycle, pro-cycling

Do you know of any other bike related idioms?

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Dutch Food: Hutspot

Body Parts in Dutch

Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Dutch Superstitions: True or Untrue?

How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths