The Noordermarkt in the Jordaan is essentially the Dutch version of San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza FM, with bicyles. People flock to the market, conveniently located just a leisurely five-minute stroll from our flat, from all over Amsterdam, and indeed from outlying cities and town as well. It’s a real social scene, so much so that a book (in Dutch) was just published about it.
Highlights are the cheeses, grains, organic meats (lots of unusual cuts, including a super-pounded schnitzel; I started off cooking it the standard way, but somehow couldn’t avoid breaking away by giving it a cumin/couscous crust, and deglazing the pan with pomegranate molasses, purchased from the local friendly Turkish market), freshly made crepes (wow), and breads. Dutch bread is really quite insipid (voluminous, airy breads seem to be the standard), but these breads were exceptional, so we’ve been stocking up every Saturday.
We inevitably had a coffee and a slice of appeltaart at nearby Cafe Winkel; everyone seems to conclude it is possibly the best in the country, and I’m inclined to agree. It was our very first food in Amsterdam, thanks to the lovely Tatjana, who not only picked us up from the aiport, but who brought us there as soon as we landed at the flat.
Alas, we’ll miss it this Saturday, since we’ll be camping in Kroller-Muller (with umlauts over the o and u) and cycling around the national park there. More on that soon, I hope!
Yeah, isn’t Dutch bread disappointing? It actually tastes okay if you go to a good bakery, but it’s really more like a pillow than a loaf of bread.
Are those greenish-red things behind the garlic tomatoes? We’ve started seeing so-called “black” tomatoes in the supermarkets here, but none so far in the outdoor markets.
We also stayed in the Jordaan last year, only a few minutes from the market. A fantastic exchange experience! Did you talk to the salt guy there? I told him about you, and he was interested in some of your ideas.
The only problem we had was the Westerkerk, which had its bell going off every 15 minutes all night and day.
Great post, Eric!
Thanks for sharing the photos and reporting how it’s like to walk in the farmer’s market there. Enjoy the wilderness and looking forward to reading the next post.
By the way, sorry about your chickens!
so jealous of your delicious travels in amsterdam. thanks for the posts. have a great time in kröller-müller; that was a major highlight of our trip to the netherlands!
Ed, yes, those were indeed tomatoes. I didn’t try them, but they did look good. Scott I did indeed talk to the salt guy at length; I wish I had known about your conversation! He’s pretty cool, and has an astounding collection of salts.
It’s been hot here so last night I made a ceviche with cod, avocado, oranges, and fresh currents, to share with our lovely neighbors, Lars and Sarah, and their friend Eric. Really hit the spot!
I’ll be rigorously testing the dozen or so kinds of tomatoes we’re going to get here this year, so stay tuned to my blog, Eric. I’m hitting the market twice a week, seeing what’s coming in and going away, and posting when there’s something good.
Look forward to those rigorous tests, Ed!
How exciting. Terrific pictures by the way. I look forward to hearing more.
How do you like your stay in the Netherlands?
Did you already read this book: Undutchables
It is great! Every good bookstore like selexyz and american bookstore sell it. It is about al the (strange) Dutch habbits. Think you will like it.