Even if temperatures are still below 15 C in Holland, tulips fields are at their best and the markets start being colorful and fragranced. I just come back from my weekly grocery shopping, and I realized about the big the impact of scent in the shopping habits and attitudes. There must be about 50 stalls in the market I go, but with no doubt the ones who have most shoppers are the ones that smell “the best”….There would be a long discussion about what “best” means. To me deep-fried fish is a repulsive odour, but there is not market in the Netherlands without a fish monger selling ready-to-eat  fried fish with sauce. And given the crowd you see around them, Dutch street food must be one of the “best”. If I was blind, I could tell whether I am in a Dutch market or not just by the way it smells. Other than fried fish, they cherish raw fish too.. and consequently you can eat the best and freshest ”haring” in one of those open markets, what contributes to that peculiar “fishy” note.

But today, as a certain sign that spring as arrived to stay, a trace of sweet, juicy and tasteful strawberries dragged me to one of the most crowded stalls. Wow, it’s not for nothing, that the person next to me was a work colleague! a perfumer!! they are the most expensive strawberries in the market, but their taste it’s worth the price difference. What supports my recently adopted theory that using local food it’s one of the best secrets to succeed in the kitchen. 

Please do not mess up! Look for Dutch label! and stay away from “mass grown, non labeled strawberries”, most probably from Huelva. You can eat those, when you are in Huelva…

But talking about local food, there’s no way you can skip the Dutch cheese!

So yes…there is a decent amoung of quality food you can find in Holland, just need to get the time to learn some Dutch to figure out which potatoes are b15 !! Now I understand Van Gogh painted so many potatoes eaters…

Hope you have a market near you, and  you can enjoy the treats of Spring…