Meat and potatoes go so well together wherever you go.
The stroopwafel instantly became my new favorite dessert! I had it with speculoos, which is very popular in some parts of Europe. It is essentially biscuit butter, and I think it tastes like gingerbread. I bought speculoos by accident once, thinking it was peanut butter. But I am happy I did because speculoos and stroopwafels go so well together.
Stamppot is prepared with boiled and mashed potatoes. I added spinach to mine, which made the mashed potatoes green. The gravy must have been a mix of the three different types of meat. The meat was fairly straightforward, similar to something you'd eat in the U.S.
You can buy stroopwafels in every supermarket here. You can also buy them in several storefronts where you can see them being cooked and have them fresh! They press two pieces of waffle together with the syrup in the middle. They can dip it in chocolate and add candy on the outside, too, if you want!
Stamppot is what the Dutch used to make during the cold, brutal winters because it kept them warm and their bellies filled. Potatoes were abundant, so this dish was cheap and could be made very fast. The meat and vegetables they used depended on what was available at the time.
As for stroopwafels, people say they began with leftovers in a bakery. A baker in the 18th or 19th century used what he had left from the day’s work, and added syrup to sweeten it. No one is sure, though, who came up with the idea first.
