Dutch Vocabulary: Food, Drinks, and Dining Out 🍽️

Eet smakelijk! (Enjoy your meal!) Food is a universal language, and a delicious part of any culture. Whether you're navigating a Dutch supermarket, ordering from a menu at a restaurant in Amsterdam, or just talking about what you like to eat, knowing food-related vocabulary is incredibly useful. You've already learned how to talk about your family, and now it's time to learn how to feed them!

This guide will cover the essential Dutch vocabulary for meals, common food items like fruits and vegetables, drinks, and the key phrases you need to confidently dine out in the Netherlands. Let's dig in! 🥕🍎

1. The Meals of the Day (De Maaltijden)

Let's start with the basic names for the meals.

Dutch	English
het ontbijt	breakfast
de lunch	lunch
het diner / het avondeten	dinner / evening meal
de maaltijd	the meal
het gerecht	the dish / course

2. Common Food Items (Eten)

Fruits (Fruit) & Vegetables (Groenten)

Dutch	English	Dutch	English
de appel	apple	de sla	lettuce
de banaan	banana	de tomaat	tomato
de sinaasappel	orange	de komkommer	cucumber
de peer	pear	de ui	onion
de aardbei	strawberry	de wortel	carrot
de druiven	grapes	de aardappel	potato

Bread, Meat, and Dairy (Brood, Vlees en Zuivel)

Dutch	English
het brood	bread
de boterham	slice of bread / sandwich
de kaas	cheese
de melk	milk
het ei (plural: eieren)	egg(s)
het vlees	meat
de kip	chicken
het rundvlees	beef
het varkensvlees	pork
de vis	fish

3. Drinks (Drinken)

What to drink with your meal?

Dutch	English
het water	water
de koffie	coffee
de thee	tea
het sap	juice
de wijn	wine
het bier	beer

4. Dining Out (Uit Eten)

This is where your vocabulary comes together. Here are the essential phrases for a restaurant setting.

Booking and Arriving

• Ik wil graag een tafel reserveren voor twee personen. - I would like to reserve a table for two people.
• Heeft u een tafel voor twee? - Do you have a table for two?

Ordering Food

During the Meal

• Smakelijk! / Eet smakelijk! - Enjoy your meal!
• Het is heerlijk! - It's delicious!
• Mag ik nog wat water? - May I have some more water?

Paying the Bill

• De rekening, alstublieft. - The bill, please.
• Mag ik betalen? - May I pay?
• Kunnen we apart betalen? - Can we pay separately?
• Pinnen, graag. - By card, please. (Literally "to use a debit card")

5. Typical Dutch Foods

When in the Netherlands, there are some classic dishes and snacks you should try!

• Stroopwafel: A very famous cookie made from two thin waffles with a caramel-like syrup (stroop) in the middle.
• Patat / Friet: Dutch fries, often served in a paper cone with a variety of sauces. The most popular is "patatje oorlog" (fries at war), with mayonnaise, peanut sauce, and raw onions.
• Haring: Raw herring, often served with chopped onions and pickles. A true Dutch experience!
• Stamppot: A traditional winter dish made from mashed potatoes mixed with one or more vegetables, like kale (boerenkool) or sauerkraut (zuurkool), often served with a smoked sausage (rookworst).
• Poffertjes: Small, fluffy, pancake-like treats, served with butter and powdered sugar.

Conclusion

Lekker! (Tasty!) You are now equipped with the essential vocabulary to explore the world of Dutch food. You can name common foods, order a meal at a restaurant, and even know which typical Dutch snacks to look out for. The best way to practice this vocabulary is to use it. Visit a Dutch bakery, read a menu online, or try to name the items in your own kitchen in Dutch. Food is a fantastic and fun way to engage with a new language and culture. Veel plezier! (Have fun!) 🥳