In October 2014, TU Delta and DutchNews.nl offered to conduct a scavenger hunt of sorts. We asked readers to tell us about ingredients and food items they have a tough time locating in the Netherlands and we offered to hunt them down.
From vanilla essence to soft corn tortillas, the shortlist was fairly global. Here’s a look at some of the items we managed to track down, and where.
Vanilla Essence and Baking Soda
We found both on a small shelf of baking goods at Dille & Kamille. Their Vanilla Essence is extracted from special pods in Madagascar. A 60ml bottle costs €4.95. Their Baking Soda is a product of UK-based company Doves Farm and 200 grams costs €2.95. “These ingredients are really popular, so we usually try and ensure that they are always available in the shop,” said Maria Van Der Velde, who works at the Delft outlet of Dille & Kamille.
Evaporated Milk and Double Cream
At Kelly’s Expat Shop in The Hague, you can find a whole range of Carnation milk products. Including, as requested, evaporated milk. They also sell fresh double cream. And, you can order them online. While they also have clotted cream for sale, you can find clotted cream, bottled by The Devon Cream Company, at the dairy section in most Jumbo super¬markets. Marks & Spencer in The Hague also sell double and clotted cream.
Various colas
Jumbo has a foreign beers section that sometimes orders Root Beer. Keep an eye out for those. Meanwhile, we tracked down A&W Cream Soda at 3D Delft, the Minimarkt at Voorstraat. “A lot of our customers are American, so I thought it would be nice for them to have some drinks from their home. We also have Cherry Pepsi, Vanilla Coke and two or three kinds of Mountain Dew,” said Aman Noori, the owner. Corn Tortillas This may seem unlikely, but Xenos sells a range of Mexican food products, including Corn Tortillas. A packet of 8 Corn Tortillas costs €0.99. They also have a range of products from Belgium-based food makers Poco Loco that specialise in Mexican snack foods. Albert Heijn also has Corn Tortillas on sale, made by a company called Casa Fiesta. A packet of 8 tortillas costs €2.29. If they’re not available at your local AH, you can even order them. We also found Old El Paso Corn Tortillas at Kelly’s Expat Shop, a packet of 8 for €3.95.
Cream of Tartar
We found this at some of the expat shops, but Dutch company Fun Cakes also sells 100g boxes of Cream of Tartar (€5.90) and Tartaric Acid (€4.30). Their website has a nifty map option that lets you find the retailers closest to you. Alternatively, you can order these online at kookpunt. nl. This website is a trove of otherwise-evasive cooking ingredients!
Sauteed Shrimp Paste
Ppoph.Luondo.nl is a speciality website with a whole range of Fillipino goods and food items. We came across the website while following the request of a Delta writer for Dagupan Sauteed Shrimp Paste. You can order it online for €2.75 for 230g. They also have Tuyo, dried fish, 10 pieces for €3.
Extras
Besides their range of products from US and the UK, Kelly’s Expat Shop in The Hague now has things from Mexico, Australia, Canada, Italy and Ireland among others. We found Kraft Vegemite in their online shop, €4.50 for 220g. They also sell Atora Suet, 250 g for €2.25. Tim Tams (chocolate, caramel, white, double) around €4.25 for 200g.
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