Some foods that feel completely ordinary in the Netherlands cannot be explained without Dutch colonial and migration history. That history includes violence, exploitation and slavery as well as later migration, family life and cultural exchange. Food should not be used to romanticise the history that produced those connections.<\/p>\n
Indonesian and Indo-Dutch food has had a particularly visible influence. Sat\u00e9, sambal, nasi, bami, spekkoek and many toko<\/em> foods are widely recognisable. The Indische rijsttafel<\/strong> is itself listed as Dutch intangible cultural heritage. Its Dutch\/colonial history is different from simply calling it an everyday Indonesian meal, so explain the context rather than flattening the cuisines together.<\/p>\n Surinamese cooking in the Netherlands reflects Suriname’s own diverse communities and histories. Roti, pom, bara and filled broodjes<\/em> are familiar in many Dutch cities. Caribbean-Dutch communities also contribute distinct food traditions. Avoid presenting all of these cuisines as one generic \u201ccolonial food\u201d category.<\/p>\n Turkish and Moroccan migration, and later migration from many other countries, reshaped neighbourhood food landscapes. Bakeries, grills, markets and specialist grocers are now ordinary parts of Dutch urban life. Pizza, d\u00f6ner, sushi, roti, noodles and many other foods may be more relevant to a person’s actual weekly diet than a heritage dish.<\/p>\n The Dutch government explicitly acknowledges that the history of slavery and colonialism continues to affect society. When BorderlessAdvice describes culinary influence, it should therefore distinguish cultural popularity from the political and historical conditions that created movement between the Netherlands and former colonies.<\/p>\n In the Netherlands, toko<\/strong> commonly refers to a shop\/eatery specialising in Indonesian or broader Asian foods and ingredients. The exact range varies enormously. A toko can be one of the most useful places to find sambal, spices, noodles, frozen products and prepared dishes not stocked widely in a standard supermarket.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How colonial history, post-war migration and later migration shaped food in the Netherlands, with practical context for Indo-Dutch, Surinamese and other cuisines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","ba_country":[2],"ba_topic":[159,158,555,557,556],"ba_audience":[15,16,17],"ba_section":[23,20],"ba_stage":[30],"ba_location":[],"class_list":["post-699","ba_guide","type-ba_guide","status-publish","hentry","ba_country-netherlands","ba_topic-dutch-food","ba_topic-food-cuisine","ba_topic-indonesian-food","ba_topic-migration-history","ba_topic-surinamese-food","ba_audience-eu-eea-swiss","ba_audience-non-eu","ba_audience-residents","ba_section-language-culture","ba_section-living","ba_stage-living-stage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/ba_guide"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":700,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/699\/revisions\/700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ba_country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_country&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"ba_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_topic&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"ba_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_audience&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"ba_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_section&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"ba_stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_stage&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"ba_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_location&post=699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Suriname and the Caribbean<\/h2>\n
Post-war and labour migration<\/h2>\n
Why the history matters<\/h2>\n
Practical newcomer tip: learn the word toko<\/h2>\n