Niederlande: HutspotRamon aus Tillburg präsentiert DAS typisch niederländische Essen!I think the most typical and common thing you can find would be "hutspot"
Hutspot is a dish of boiled and mashed potatoes, carrots and onions with a long history in traditional Dutch cuisine.
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 Years 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.
The anniversary of this event, known as Leidens Ontzet, is still celebrated every October 3th in Leiden and by Dutch expatriates the world over. Traditionally, the celebration includes consumption of a lot of Hutspot met klapstuk/stooflap (Hutspot with chuck roast/beef shoulder chops).
The first European record of the potato is as late as 1537, by the Spanish conquistador Castellanos, and it spread quite slowly throughout Europe from thereon. So the original legend probably should refer to what the Dutch call a 'sweet potato' or pastinaak which is much akin to a parsnip; this vegetable played a similar role in Dutch cuisine prior to the use of the potato as a staple food.
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.
Hutspot met Klapstuk (Hot Pot with Boiled Meat for 4 to 6 people)
4 cups (1 l) water
2 teaspoon (10 ml) salt
1 kg fresh brisket of beef
1 kg medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
1.5 kg boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
3 cups (750 ml) coarsely chopped onions
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil in a heavy 3 l pot. Add the salt and the meat and bring back to a boil, skimming the surface of the water to remove the scum and fat that rises to the surface. Partially cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for two and a half to three hours. Check the water frequently; it may be necessary to add more in order to keep the meat immersed. Add the diced carrots and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, then add the potatoes and onions. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables are soft and the liquid is almost all evaporated.
Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Using a wooden spoon, mash the vegetables to a puree in the pot. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the puree to a heated platter, forming a mound in the center. Slice the meat across the grain and arrange around the vegetables. Serve at once, accompanied by spicy brown mustard and a good quality dark bread.
eet smakelijk!