Dutchies go for yellow! - expatsHaarlem

Dutchies go for yellow! How?

BEER

“De gele rakker”, “oudgeel gerstenat”: “yellow (geel means yellow in Dutch) synonyms” for a veeeery loved drink in the Netherlands. Friday after work to start the weekend, after fixing jobs at home, after a sport competition…. Every moment seems suitable for a “lekker koud biertje”. Dutchies love it: in 2012 the average amount of consumed beer in the Netherlands p.p. was: 6,4 glasses a week.

Nevertheless, Dutchies are not the heaviest beer drinkers in Europe:
According to an article in Wikipedia in 2010 they stood at the 18^thposition.

And the beer consumption in the Netherlands (as in the whole of Europe) is decreasing. In the ‘Nationaal bieronderzoek’ published by the Nederlandse Brouwers, the official beer consumption in the Netherlands was 7,5 in 2008, 7,4 in 2009, 7,0 in 2010 en 7,2 in 2011 and 6,4 in 2012. Extra taxes introduced in 2009 have probably influenced the decrease as well. We also drink more alcohol free beer: Dutch beer drinkers choose alcohol free beer more often. In 2013 46% of the beer drinkers had drunk sometimes an alcohol free beer instead of the 36% of 2012.

What kind of beer do we drink? Pils (78%), Witbier (40%) followed by other special beer (34%), Bokbier (24%), Rosébier (18%) and alcohol free beer (12%).

Jopenbier (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

Dutch Heineken beer (Photo: Michael Hofmann)

A lot of Dutch beer. Nederlandse Brouwers counted 165 breweries in the Netherlands. They affirm that in 2012 24 million hl beer were brewed in the Netherlands and that 85% of the beer that we drink is brewed in the Netherlands too.

(Source: Nederlandse Brouwers)

CHEESE

“Nederlanders blijven kaaskoppen”.

Yellow cheese. The Dutch cheese consumption is quite stable. Let’s look at the kg consumption per capita: 19,3 in 2008, 19,0 in 2009, 19,5 in 2010, 19,4 in 2011. (Source: Productschap Zuivel).

But the cheese consumption changes: Food Magazine affirms that Dutchies eat less ‘’Hollandse kaas” than before. While they eat more often foreign cheeses, regional cheeses and convenience products. The consumer is more and more interested in new tastes, craftsmanship and cooking with cheese. (Source: ProfNews).

Buitenlandse kaas (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

Foreign cheeses

Cooking with cheese (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

Hollandse kazen (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

SUNFLOWERS

Buy a sunflower and you bring the summer at home. Give a sunflower and you give a sunshine. Symbol of happiness and fertility. Beloved by Vincent van Gogh. Sunflower oil as basis for cooking and sunflower seeds to enrich brown bread or a tasteful salad.

Sunflowers Vincent van Gogh (Photo: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

BANANAS

“Waarom zijn de bananen krom?”. How many times did a Dutch granny ask this while the toddler was insisting asking why? Many funny answers follow. In fact bananas grow against the gravity pointing up. Because of their weight they hang crooked. Soft, sweet, approachable taste and full of vitamins they are often offered at kids, at home and at the day care. Besides, they also contain a protein that your body converts in serotonin. No Prozac needed!

Bananas

GEELTJE

Before the euro Dutch people used to call the yellowish banknote of 25 guilder a “geeltje” (little yellow one). The name remained popular, also when this banknote got a red colour. By the introduction of the euro the term has disappeared. Nowadays, if you talk about a “geeltje” people will probably think of a Post-it.

Geeltje

Post it

CEES GEEL

Popular for his role in the movie Simon, about the friendship between a womanizer hash dealer and a timid, gay dental student. Full eyebrows, bold head, characteristic laugh, the talented actor got a Gouden Kalf for this role.