Published for the first time in 2006, Delicious Amsterdam is the English-language version of the Dutch book of the same name. Written by Johannes van Dam, food writer and arguably Holland’s most prominent restaurant critic, Delicious Amsterdam is aimed at non-Dutch-speaking residents and tourists who want to discover the best food and dining spots in the capital.
What is Dutch Food?
The first 40 pages of Delicious Amsterdam explain what Dutch food is, how it came to be what it is today (generally – and as Van Dam explains, rather unfairly – regarded as not very interesting) and how popular food items fit into the country’s cuisine. These include cheese (Dutch cheeses tend to be hard and packed in wax, which in the past made them much more suitable for export than soft French varieties); herring, the tiny silver fish that made Holland’s Golden Age possible; and the Dutch colonial presence in Asia that has resulted in the ingredients and flavors from the east becoming such an integral part of Dutch food.
The book then narrows its scope to focus on Amsterdam. A few key items, such as bread, cheese, meat and fruit and vegetables, are discussed and suggestions given for where to find them in the city. The following 20 pages provides a relatively extensive dictionary of Dutch food terms, with a list of page numbers next to each one indicating where the delicacy in question is discussed in more detail. This feature is very helpful for putting the terms into context.
Amsterdam’s Best Food Shops and Restaurants
The rest of the book is devoted to Van Dam's shortlist of the best food shops, markets and restaurants. In the shopping section, the name of most of the shops is followed by a short description of what it sells and/or its specialty, or a web address where readers can go for further information. Address details and opening times are also provided.
The restaurants are grouped by cuisine and ranked with stars and euro signs to indicate how good and expensive they are. Each restaurant review consists of just one short sentence, the implication being that even restaurants with one star are above average just by having made it into the book.
Right at the back are two black-and-white but clear maps of central and greater Amsterdam, showing where all the restaurants reviewed can be found.
Insider Foodie Tips
Van Dam has been collecting food and cookbooks for over 30 years and is now one of the Netherlands’ leading authorities on the history of Dutch cuisine. As a result, Delicious Amsterdam contains much more culinary history than the average guide book. This will probably fascinate foodies but may put off more casual diners.
However, as a born-and-bred Amsterdammer, Van Dam knows his stuff and provides a wealth of insider foodie tips in this slim, pocket-sized book. So even buying the book just to skip to the review section at the back makes Delicious Amsterdam worth the €15 asking price.
Delicious Amsterdam is published by Bas Lubberhuizen. It is available in good Dutch bookstores and stores in Amsterdam specializing in English-language books such as Waterstones (located on Kalverstraat 152) and The American Book Center.
Cecily Layzell - Cecily Layzell is a food and travel writer and founder of restaurant review site www.eat-amsterdam.com.
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