Stamppot

Stamppot (English: Mash Pot) is a traditional Dutch dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several other vegetables, sometimes also with bacon. These vegetable pairings traditionally include sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, turnip greens, or carrot and onion (the combination of the latter two is known as hutspot in the Netherlands and as wortelstoemp in Belgium). It is usually served with sausage (in the Netherlands often smoked, in Belgium more often fried) or stewed meat. Stamppot can be purchased from shops and supermarkets. It can also be ordered in cafe style restaurants, but the combination of more strict recent regulations about allowed foods in taverns versus restaurants has restricted the custom of offering simple dishes in many Belgian pubs.

Source: http://bijnanetzolekkeralsthuis.blogspot.com

The best-known stamppot is stamppot boerenkool (kale or farmer‘s cabbage). This is also a strictly cold weather dish, as boerenkool leaves are best frosted — the cold softens the leaves thus improving their taste.

Most Dutch buy their boerenkool at the supermarket in neatly packaged plastic bags, however if you are keen on finding the freshest kale you can try a local farmers market or a health food store.

Kale is a primitive version of cabbage and whether it is red, green or white, it’s certainly not the world’s most elegant vegetable. Still, there's something about the taste of kale that made it become a national dish in three different countries. But whereas the Brazilians are very proud of their Couve Minera (kale in the style of Minias Gerais) and most Portuguese love to chat about the taste of a plate of Caldo Verde (Portuguese kale-potato soup), it will be very hard to find a Dutch citizen boasting about ‘stamppot boerenkool’.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamppot

http://www.expatica.com

Posted in: Culinary,Netherlands