Dutch food words: stroopwafel, hagelslag, bitterballen and more

Stroopwafel, hagelslag, bitterballen, stamppot, oliebollen, drop: the Dutch food words you will meet first — what they are, how to order them, and patat or friet.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 2 min read

Canal houses along the Singel in Amsterdam — Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

Dutch food has its own vocabulary — much of it untranslatable. Here are the words you will meet in your first weeks.

Dutch	What it is
de stroopwafel	two thin waffles with syrup inside
de hagelslag	chocolate sprinkles — on bread, for breakfast
de boterham	a slice of bread — the Dutch lunch
de bitterbal	a small fried ball of ragout, with mustard
de kroket	a long fried croquette
de stamppot	mashed potatoes with vegetables, in winter
de erwtensoep (snert)	thick pea soup
de haring	raw herring, often with onions
de oliebol	a doughnut ball for New Year’s Eve
de drop	liquorice — sweet or salty
de poffertjes	small fluffy pancakes
de appeltaart	apple pie, with whipped cream

Most of these are de-words — but not every food word is: het broodje (roll) is a diminutive, so het. Learn the article with the word (de or het). Plurals: bitterballen, kroketten, oliebollen (plurals).

Patat or friet?

Chips (fries) are patat in much of the north and friet or frieten in the south and in Belgium. Both are right — use what you hear around you. In Belgium the frituur is the chip shop.

Ordering

Een patatje met mayonaise, alstublieft.

Literally: Chips with mayonnaise, please.

Meaning: een patatje — the diminutive, as people order it

Ik neem een broodje kaas en een koffie.

Literally: I’ll have a cheese roll and a coffee.

Meaning: nemen

Eet smakelijk!

Literally: Enjoy your meal!

More in shopping and eating out and the phrasebook: cheers. Verbs: eten, drinken, koken, bestellen.

Food words with audio

16Word’s food and restaurant topics drill these words with recordings and a game of Blocks between answers. Free to start.

Keep learning

Shopping and eating out
Dutch holidays
Proost and eet smakelijk
What gezellig means
Verb tables: zijn, hebben, gaan, komen, kunnen, moeten, willen, mogen, zullen, worden, wonen, werken, leren, lezen, schrijven, spreken, luisteren, begrijpen, zeggen, vragen, maken, doen, geven

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Frequently asked questions

What is hagelslag?

Chocolate (or fruit) sprinkles eaten on buttered bread, often for breakfast.

Is it patat or friet?

Both: patat is common in much of the north of the Netherlands, friet or frieten in the south and in Belgium.

What are bitterballen?

Small deep-fried balls of ragout, served with mustard — a classic with drinks.