Top 8 Must-Try Dutch Recipes

Ask anyone from the Netherlands what they would consider the most quintessential Dutch dish and you'll probably hear the word stamppot a few times. These potato and vegetable mash recipes are the ultimate comfort food.

It's hard to beat the tender texture and delicate flavor of white asparagus. But it's even harder to beat the way the Dutch enjoy it: swathed in Hollandaise sauce, chopped boiled eggs and slices of ham. This asparagus hollandaise is spring cuisine at its swoon-worthy best.

Advocaat is a sunshine yellow liqueur made from a rich blend of egg yolks, sugar, brandy and a touch of vanilla that's consumed during the darker days around Christmas-time in the Netherlands. And, while you can find some good Dutch exports, it is really easy - and infinitely more delicious - to make your own traditional creamy advocaat liqueur at home.

This traditional Dutch apple pie recipe delivers a really big apple pie, with a sandy-crisp, buttery crust and a pretty peek-a-boo lattice pattern on top. We've used speculaas spices instead of the usual cinnamon because we're obsessed with this aromatic spice, but if you prefer it the traditional way, simply use cinnamon instead.

Fruited Dutch bread with a sweet almond paste center is a real winner for the holidays. German Christmas Stollen or Christstollen, is full of nuts, raisins, and candied fruit.

Beef Bitterballen, those deep-fried ragout-filled delicacies, are typically served as snacks in Dutch bars and cafés, and may also form part of a selection of fried finger foods, called bittergarnituur. More popular fried options feature croquettes like Dutch veal croquettes or these trendy pulled pork croquettes.

These generously spiced Dutch holiday cookies were once enjoyed only at Sinterklaas, but have become a year-round staple. Because some commercial versions are windmill shaped, they're known as windmill cookies in some parts of the world, but these traditional winter-spiced speculaas cookies actually come in a variety of shapes, such as figurines, angels and animals. Almond-paste filled varieties, such as the and gevulde speculaas cookies, are also very popular.

This traditional Dutch split pea soup is usually served on New Year's Day in the Netherlands but is also enjoyed throughout the colder months. Made with split peas, plenty of vegetables and pork, it's hearty and nutritious. You might also want to try our traditional Dutch brown bean soup recipe.