N, for Netherlands! A lot of Germans think, the right name for the country would be "Holland", but that is just the name of 2 districts (North- and South Holland) within the Netherlands. I've been there LOTS of times! DH and I drove to Amsterdam as soon I held the drivers license (earliest time for that in Germany is 18 years of age), and it was such an adventure, two virgin travelers, attempting to conquer the world! We wandered the city in the night, explored the Grachten, the tiny canals via boat ride and shopped at the amazing markets. We chose our way home besides the big highways and discovered tiny villages, hidden art galleries, and the artful, stunningly intricate brickwork of old streets. Then, my mother in law and her husband moved from the US to Netherlands and lived there at 2 different places in Limburg, both several years. We visited each year, with or without our kids, and explored the small town-life, the cuisine, the wide, beautiful heathlands with meandering little creeks in the sandy land.
One year we traveled with 3 motorbikes to the Dutch shore, together with a friend of ours and DH's sister, and "enjoyed" typical Dutch summer-weather. I think it rained every day of all our 2 weeks! We had the amazing adventure to drive in an angle of 45 degree, leaned into the stiff breeze that came in from the ocean- and had to deal with the sudden slipstream behind the huge traffic signs
In the end, the tent of our friend went down in the steady rain and we all crawled into our tent, and the end of that was that the friend and sister in law had a fleeting affair... and my dear man dislocated something in his spine while trying to lift up his heavy motorbike, on swampy ground. And the end of that was, that I tried first time of my life, to heal with my hands. It worked... and that was a huge glorious start to my further career...
And then again, 2019, we took our daughter and her whole family into a summer cabin to Netherlands shore in Zeeland, so that the kids could play in the waves... well, it was again rainy, cold and VERY windy, in ALMOST every day of our 2 weeks!
but that became somewhat a good thing, when we finally went towards Amsterdam so that I could attend the Abe-seminar, and they had an awesome time sailing a one- mast Tjalk on the Ijsselmeer. And there... the sun came out. You just HAVE to travel with Abraham.
So you see, the Netherlands are very near and dear to me! It feels a bit as coming home, when I think there. Including the amazing food that we enjoyed over and over and over!
One of the VERY BEST experiences foodwise in Netherlands is, to visit a
Pannekoeken-huis (a restaurant serving Dutch pancakes). Again, as everywhere in Europe, pancakes here are flat, a bit like Crepe. Dutch pannekoeken come in hundreds of styles, with baked-in fruit, chocolate-chips, fresh fruit as toppings, jam, Nutella, icecream, whipped cream... or savory, with baked-in cheese, vegetables or bacon and hearty sauces. Stroop= syrup, and sugar are always on the table for self service!
Stamppot - "stamped pot", a mash of potatoes and maybe every imaginable other vegetables, together with smoked
Rookworst.- or remains of more fancy dishes. This delicious pots of tossed together leftovers are favourites in all of Europe, filling, hearty, especially in cold days or after hard physical work.
Rijstafel: Indonesian food (coming from a former Dutch colony) is deeply anchored in Dutch cuisine, and everywhere available, and very, very delicious!
A “rice table” consists of 15 or even more side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice. Typical options include egg rolls, sambals, satay and vegetables.
The Netherlands are famous for all their many wonderful Cheeses. Especially famous is the
Gouda (offered mostly in young, middleaged and old, or even smoked version). This cheese is named for the city in which it was
sold, as the Gouda-cheesemarket (while there other cheesemarkets also) is a fascinating spectacle that screams "Netherlands"- with lots of celebrated old traditions, traditionally dressed people, music and FOOD! Oh, and with the beautiful, famous, black Dutch carriage-horses "Friesen"!
Bitterballen and Kroketten- fast food that you can get all over the place, sometimes just as an aside to beer, sometimes as "just a bite to eat", sometimes as filling of a sandwich, or as part of a full meal. They are breaded, deep fried dumplings filled with gravy and sometimes meat, served with mustard. I wasn't too excited about them...
Haring: Fatty Herring is lightly brined and salted and served with lots of chopped onions and pickles. This makes a delightful meal when served with potatoes and butter, and/or with sour creme and raw apple-slices- or as street food, held by the tail an lowered into the mouth. A fun way to have a really savory bite to neutralize after too many Stroopwafels or Poffertjes!
Poffertjes now finally are puffy "pancakes", while in mini-size. They are made with a buckwheat- yeast dough, and baked in special pans- you will see them all over Netherlands, on all exhibitions or in food trucks, or as breakfast option in hotels. They come served only with butter and icing sugar (maybe the best and traditional option), or with whipped cream, fresh fruit or syrups.
Olibollen ("oily balls") are sort of Dutch Christmas-donuts, often with raisins or candied fruit in the dough, rolled in icing sugar.
Bolus is the crispy, deepfried, very delightful Dutch version of a cinnamon bun. Worth a travel to Netherlands all on it's own!
Stroopwafels are very thin wafers—stuck together with Stroop=caramel syrup. You get them everywhere, fresh at bakeries and food trucks across the Netherlands, as well as sold packaged in grocery stores.
Spekulaas (or per example the German Spekulatius) is a traditional spicy and very delicious brittle and crisp cookie known all over the northern part of Europe. We all have our own wooden molds for preparing them, or carved rolling pins and slightly different recipes, but probably, most buy them ready made in stores.
Hagelslag (=hailstorm) comes in different colors -as chocolate, white chocolate, or colorful with red, white, green bits. In other European countries this sugar crumbs (even what is called chocolate is rarely a good true chocolate but more sugar) are used to decorate cakes, but in the Netherlands they are a beloved topping for breakfast-sandwiches.
Ontbijtkoek, =Breakfast-Bread is a delicious, sturdy "cake" that awakens memories of gingerbread, but less dense. It is eaten (as the name says) for breakfast, with butter and jam. My children love it whenever I get hold of it here in Germany. Really, give it a try! There is SO MUCH to love in the Netherlands!!
My family and I, 2019 in the Netherlands (including me, going to the Abe-seminar in Gashoulder, Amsterdam)
and I have to thank all the cake-angels that the cake held up for a WHOLE DAY (as I prepared it the night before). It truly was a miracle!! 
I GET THAT. But... I applaude all the weddingplaners who are so selfless in the process- allll the time!! 
