As I was on exchange this year during the festive season, a few friends and I decided to make the most of it. England is close to Europe, so we decided to hop across the pond and ring in the New Year in Amsterdam.

While the festivities were great and I had a blast exploring the city, by far the highlight of my trip was the food! Here are just some of the delicacies I recommend you try when visiting the land of the Dutch:

1. McDonald’s

Okay, so I know this is not really a delicacy but there is something thrilling about eating McDonald’s in a new country. We stopped at McDonald’s just after we had passed through Belgium so this was our first meal.
While a Big Mac is still a Big Mac, the Dutch offer Fritz Sauce with their fries instead of ketchup. It was sort of like an herb mayonnaise, but better.

2. Oliebollen

These doughnuts will change your life! Oliebollen are a Dutch speciality that is only served during the holidays. We found them in big street carts and at only one euro each they are hard to resist. They were deep-fried dough with a crispy outside and a soft and gooey middle covered in sugar. Unlike regular doughnuts they still have their middle. You can either get plain ones or with raisins. They beat any doughnut I have ever tried and safe to say we ate at least two a day!

3. Fries with Mayonnaise

Apparently this is quite a well known favourite of the Dutch. It might be familiar to Canadians, but coming from New Zealand, this was new for me.

Like we add ketchup to our fries, the Dutch add mayonnaise. However, the mayonnaise in Amsterdam was much creamier and richer than the mayonnaise at home and who knew adding it to fries was such a good combination!

4. Croquets

In case you haven’t spotted the trend yet, the Dutch are a big fan of deep frying their food. As a result, the streets of Amsterdam are filled with vending machines (known as Febo) that serve deep fried fast food. Simply, insert your coins, hit the right button, the little door pops open and you can grab your snack! We tried croquets, which are a crumbed deep-fried snack that has a meat and sauce in the middle. It was hot and delicious but most importantly came from a vending machine.

5. Poffertjes

Poffertjes are Dutch pancakes. They are much smaller and much more fluffier than normal pancakes. We tried the traditional ones, which were smothered in sugar and butter. Like heaven on a plate!