Bitterballen: a dutch bar food turned gourmet

I was stumbling around the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, drunk after a fantastic evening of wine and schmoozing at a corporate event. It was a gusty night in late summer and air was starting to take a slight chill. The moonlight’s reflection off the water completed a picture perfect scene. And suddenly, I was hungry.

Fine dining is great, but the portions can be sparing at times. A perfect confluence of the scenery, the weather and the alcohol created a pit in my stomach that couldn’t be filled with anything other than junk food. I had the munchies. Amsterdam, however, is not like NYC. It sleeps. After midnight, the bars and restaurants are mostly closed. FEBO is always open, though.

FEBO is about the fastest of fast food restaurants. It outdoes the US at its own game. FEBO doesn’t have a menu, it doesn’t have a counter where you can pick up your food, it doesn’t even seem to have employees (though it does, of course). What it does have are tiny little lockers, each with a window through which customers view its contents. Each of these lockers contains a food item – burgers, pomme frites, croquettes, and, of course, bitterballen. You pop in a euro or two, the locker opens, and you grab your food. Oh, and most importantly, FEBO is open 24 hours.

I sat in my hotel room wolfing down a crispy FEBO bitterballen in total silence. I was in awe. Here was something that was simultaneously delicious, elegant and totally unique (for me). And I knew that it would not be the last time I ate the stuff. An obsession was born.

Some history

Bitterballen is not bitter at all. It is a savory, creamy dish. Here’s the recipe in a nutshell: take some tender leftover stew meat, cook it into a buttery roux, roll in breadcrumb and fry. The name refers to bitters, a Dutch liqueur made with herbs, fruit and spices. And no, bitters are not an ingredient in the dish: it is the preferred accompaniment to the fried rounds. Bitterballen is perhaps the original bar food.

These delightful little treats are still largely served at bars. Many an evening, I stopped into a wine bar for a cheese platter with bitterballen and a glass or two of Riesling. Served with some Dutch Zaanse (a spicy mustard), they are heavenly. But like many junk foods, this classic bar food is being re-imagined by modern culinary artists and chefs into a gourmet food item. They are no longer strictly the domain of cheap bar fare.

A modern take on a classic

Probably the first influential chef to take the humble bitterballen seriously was Cees Holtkamp. Holtkamp is a renowned Dutch pastry chef and an icon in the world of traditional Dutch baking. In 1969, Cees and his wife, Tini, opened Patisserie Holtkamp in Amsterdam, which quickly became one of the most respected pastry shops in the Netherlands. It was at Patisserie Holtkamp that the refined bitterballen was born.

At one time in Dutch history, bitterballen was used to discard bits of low-quality or leftover meat. The dish was often made with mechanically-separated meat (think SPAM) or even horse meat. Holtkamp’s recipe starts not with leftover stew meat, but with a quality cut of fresh veal, cooked for hours until tender. From there, a homemade ragout is concocted from the veal. After chilling the ragout, balls are formed and then rolled in two different sizes of breadcrumbs produced from stale bread to evoke a delightfully crisp crust.

Holtkamp’s bakery still exists today, but unless you live in the Netherlands (or are rich enough to go there as you please), it will be quite difficult to get your hands on the good stuff. He has also published a book of recipes aimed at the home cook, but sadly for English-speakers, it is written in Dutch. For a variation of Holtkamp’s recipe that is widely available and written in Enlglish, check out Stefan’s Gourmet. His blog gives some interesting history on the food, and since Stefan lives in the Netherlands, it comes quite close to the mark.

Some closing thoughts

I know, I know. How can I conclude this without a recipe of my own and some of my own pictures? You’ll be excited to know that I’m going to begin my “dinner party” series in the coming days (or weeks). I often hold a supper club for close friends on the weekends at my NYC apartment. Bitterballen is on the menu this coming weekend as an appetizer. I’ll be sure to post recipe notes and pictures!

Until then. Au revoir!