5 surprising Things I Learned in Holland
Everyone thinks of Holland as Clogs, Windmills, Cheese, Cannabis & Tulips, and that is true; they are everywhere. But there is so much more to this diverse country. In the “Other Holland”, which is the central/eastern part of the country, we discovered some surprising facts:
1. Farming:
They have acres of flowers, crops, and cows. Every piece of land is utilised and orderly. I learned from their government website that food accounts for 17.5% of their exports. In fact, after the USA, Holland is the biggest exporter of agricultural products globally. Yep, you read that right, a country half the size of Scotland, with 17.4 million people, produces more agricultural products than any other European country. Surprising?
2. Horses:
Another surprising fact for me was that I noticed that there were horses everywhere we went. Big ones that look like Heavy Horses, medium-sized ones that you would see at a horse show, and what looked like Shetland ponies, which we know are cute. There were hundreds of them. So, of course, I googled it, and there are apparently 450,000 horses in Holland with 500,000 riders. Whether dressage, driving, show jumping, or racing, they have over 7,000 horse events annually.
3. Cycling infrastructure:
Although not surprising, I was blown away by how well the Dutch do cycling. The Dutch have 22.8 million bicycles and 35,000 kilometres of bike tracks for commuting and recreational purposes. 27% of all journeys are by bike, which is much higher in cities. With the average car trip in Europe being 7 km or less, we could all learn to take those shorter trips by bike. Even employers in Holland can pay their employees a tax-free mileage allowance. If adopted in all European countries, it would incentivise people to get on their bikes.
4. Food:
I had never really thought about Dutch food previously. I did some research before we went and sampled them – for research purposes, you understand! It’s surprisingly tasty.
- “Hagelslag” is like cake sprinkles made of chocolate and sugar; the Dutch love it on bread for breakfast!
- “Poffertjes” are like mini pancakes and are delicious with honey and cream.
- “Fries” – they have the best chips we have tasted. They are like proper handmade chips, generally served with mayonnaise.
- “Stroopwafels” – are 2 flat waffle-type cookies held together with syrup.
- “Kibbeling” was my favourite; they are deep-fried pieces of cod like the battered cod we get in the UK. So, Fish and Chips were on the menu several times during our stay! And finally, our staple diet for our ‘coffee’ stops on the bike.
- “Appel Noten Taart” – Apple Nut Cake. The Dutch do anything with apples well, but this was my favourite. It was served with a dollop of cream, which helped with any aches and pains from cycling.
2 recommendations I would make – 1 for Kibbeling @RestaurantJohannesKok in Harderwijk. And for the Apple Nut Cake – @BrasserieDelicat in Hoenderloo. Finally, the Fries all over Holland are delicious, and we tested a number of them, but we loved the ones in Amsterdam @thechipsyking
5. Water management:
Holland is the best-protected piece of land from water in the world. Almost half the country is below or under 3 feet above sea level. I think we were at one of the highest points in Holland at 79m. So, to protect their country from floods from the sea and rivers, the Dutch built a vast network of barriers, dikes and pumping stations. The Dutch are experts in water management and are requested worldwide as we face climate changes and rising sea levels. This area is so crucial to the country they have a Special Water Envoy in their government.
Stats Source: government.nl