A Taste of the Netherlands–Sharing Culture Through Food

Exploring local cuisine can play an important role in understanding and appreciating a new culture. Food can provide both host families and Ayusa students alike a meaningful cultural experience to discover the practices, rituals, and beliefs that surround food and its consumption. The recipe below was shared with us from Lotte, Ayusa student from the Netherlands, who prepared pannekoeken for her host family in Minnesota!

A pannekoeken is a Dutch pancake of sorts. It is larger but thinner than traditional American pancakes - They are most often made to be up to a foot in diameter! Unlike in the United States, pannekoeken are eaten both for breakfast AND dinner in the Netherlands. Entire restaurants dedicated to pannekoeken, called pannekoekenhuisjes, offer a wide variety of fillings and toppings, from sweet to savory, for everyone to enjoy!

Lotte's Pannekoeken

Servings: 5 // Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of milk
• Vanilla extract (depends on how much you would like)
• Butter for baking

Instructions

1. Add one cup of flour, both of the eggs, and 2 cups of mils in a big bowl to mix until smooth.
2. Add the other cup of flour to mix it in. We separate the flour to prevent getting big pieces in it. You want it to be smooth!
3. Set your stove on medium and add a small amount of the butter to a pan, just enough to smooth out the pan. Use a big and flat pan that has a small rim. If you do not have a big pan with a small rim, you just need to make smaller pannenkoeken.
4. Add a scoop of your mixture into the pan so it forms a circle. It needs to be thin, flat, and as wide as possible. Remember: you won't be able to flip it is the rim of your pan is big (in case you make the pannenkoek too big and wide.)
5. Flip your pannenkoek when the bottom side has a dark golden tone. It's better to make the brown color a bit darker than lighter.
6. Put your pannenkoek on a plate when both sides are ready.
7. Add your toppings and roll your pannenkoek like a wrap! Use your fork and knife to eat all of your pannenkoeken, it might be sticky because of the toppings.

Good to Add During Baking

• Ham and cheese
• Thin banana pieces

Good to Add After Baking

• Nutella
• Thicker type of syrup
• Powdered sugar (can be combined with the syrup)
• Vanilla ice cream with strawberry jam (fold instead of roll)

My favorite kind is with banana and syrup! We were with five family members, and I made a double batch, as there might be occasions when you only get 8 pannenkoeken out of the recipe. Most people eat 2 or 3.