Dutch sweets from the Netherlands from Dutch Expat Shop

It is a well-known fact that many Dutch men and women have a sweet tooth. When visiting a supermarket, you cannot help but notice the overwhelming presence of candy in the racks. So, if you are a sugar lover, the Netherlands must look like candy heaven. On the other side, if you are desperately trying to limit your sugar intake, living in the Netherlands must feel like hell. But which candy is popular in the Netherlands? In this blog we will tell you about 3 different kind of sweet candy and tell you where you can buy them!

Drop

Originally, it was used for medical purposes, to stop one’s coughing. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Dutch started eating it as candy. In the new millennium, the Dutch are consuming two kilos of drop per person per year on average. That’s around 32 million kilos per year!

Haagse Hopjes

Haagse Hopjes are coffee-caramels originated in The Hague at the end of the 18th century. They taste of coffee, caramel and cream. A Hopje is named after the inventor and aristocratic coffee addict Baron Hendrik Hop. One night in 1792, he forgot that he had left his coffee with sugar and cream on the heater. The next morning, he tasted the evaporated substance and loved it. As Baron Hop lived in rooms over a confectionery, he asked his neighbours to create a sweet made of coffee. So, they did and the Hopje was born!

Wilhelmina pepermunt

Like drop, peppermint used to be taken as a medicine. People believed that peppermint oil had the capacity to smoothe the stomach after a meal. In the urbanized world of the early 20th century, mints became immensely popular as sweets thanks to mass-marketing. Advertisements targeted insecure young women and men, warning them that they should weapon themselves against bad breath. When Princess Wilhelmina (the first reigning queen of the Netherlands) turned twelve in 1892, a bakery shop in Friesland developed a special mint which had her face printed on it. Nearly 130 years later, these mints are still popular sweets in the Netherlands. And they’re still being produced in the Frisian town of Dokkum, by the very same confectioners.

Want to try some Dutch snacks yourself?

Dutch sweets are a great way to surprise your friends, business relationships or colleagues. But getting these items can be a bit difficult if you’re not in the Netherlands or anywhere nearby. Lucky for you, you can easily order them online at Dutch Expat Shop. Do not wait any longer and take a quick look on their website!