Stamppot facts for kids
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| Type | Side dish or Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Netherlands |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, various vegetables and/or fruit |
| Variations | Hutspot, Wortelstoemp |
Stamppot (which means 'mash pot' in English) is a traditional Dutch dish. It is made from potatoes mashed together with one or more vegetables. It's a popular and hearty meal, especially enjoyed when the weather is cold.
Contents
What is Stamppot?
Stamppot usually mixes potatoes with vegetables like sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, or turnip greens. Another common mix is carrot and onion. This specific combination is known as hutspot in the Netherlands. In Belgium, it's called wortelstoemp.
Sometimes, leafy greens like endive are added raw to the potatoes. They are mashed in without being cooked first. There are also less common types of stamppot made with fruit. For example, blauwe bliksem (blue lightning) uses pears. Hete bliksem (hot lightning) is made with sweet apples. You might even find pineapple in some sauerkraut or endive stamppot.
In recent years, people have started adding new ingredients to stamppot. These can include rocket, leeks, beets, sweet potato, and mushrooms. Sometimes, fish is also used. Stamppot is mostly eaten during colder months.
Serving Stamppot
Stamppot is often served with sausage. In the Netherlands, this is usually smoked sausage. In Belgium, it's more often fried sausage. Other popular additions include crispy bacon pieces or stewed meat. You can also enjoy it with cheese, small pickles called gherkins, nuts, or pickled onions.
If you visit the Netherlands, you can buy ready-made stamppot in shops and supermarkets. Some cafe-style restaurants also serve it.
The exact beginning of stamppot is not fully known. However, a famous story says that hutspot was invented during the 1574 Siege of Leiden. This was a time when the city of Leiden was under attack. Using raw leafy vegetables in stamppot is a newer idea, starting around 1940.
How to Make Stamppot
There are two main ways to prepare stamppot:
- Modern Method: First, you boil the vegetables and potatoes separately. Once they are soft, you put the potatoes into the same pot as the vegetables. Then, you mash them all together thoroughly. In the Netherlands, a type of smoked sausage called Rookworst is often added to the dish.
- One-Pot Method: For this method, you put the potatoes and your chosen vegetables or fruit into one pot. You add water and let everything boil together. After the vegetables are cooked and the water is drained, you add some milk, butter, and salt. Then, you mash everything together. Sometimes, the same pot is used to warm up sausage, but the sausage is not mashed into the dish. Hutspot, with carrots and onions, is often made this way.
Small pieces of fried bacon, called spekjes, are often added for extra flavor. It's also common to make a small dip in the middle of the stamppot on your plate. This little hole, called a kuiltje jus, is then filled with gravy.
Similar Dishes Around the World
Many countries have dishes similar to stamppot, where vegetables and potatoes are mashed together:
- Bubble and squeak, from England
- Champ and colcannon, from Ireland
- Rumbledethumps, from Scotland
- Stoemp, from Belgium
- Trinxat, from the Empordà region of Catalonia, northeast Spain, and Andorra
See also
In Spanish: Stamppot para niños
