A Dutch Treat Trivia Quiz

Answer: Orange

The colour orange is considered the national colour of the Netherlands. This is due to the fact that the Dutch monarchy has long been dominated by the House of Orange-Nassau. It was William I of Orange who organised the revolt against the Spanish rulers in the Netherlands, leading to the independence of the Netherlands in 1815.

The Dutch soccer team plays in an orange outfit and so do a lot of other Dutch sports teams. You can see a lot of people wearing orange as well at King's Day, when the monarchy is celebrated. This day (a national holiday) can also be referred to as Queen's Day, depending on the current monarch. On this day there are lots of celebrations and markets (also called free markets). The royal family usually visit one of more cities to join in on the celebrations.

Answer: Croquette

The Dutch word for a croquette is "kroket". It is a fried delicacy, usually filled with some type of meat, mostly in the form of ragout. It is a snack regularly sold all over the country. You can buy it at a snackshop or take it out of the wall. You just insert a coin in the slot and you can take the snack from a window in the wall. The snack became popular after the Second World War as an easy to prepare snack, using mostly the cheaper meat.

The croquette is often eaten with fries or combined with other snacks such as the "frikandel" (a sort of hot dog) or the "bamibal" (fried meat with bami noodles). A variation of croquette that is very popular (at parties) is the "bitterbal". It is basically a croquette in the shape of a little ball.

Answer: Black Pete

On the 6th of December the Dutch celebrate Saint Nicolas day. This is not to be confused with Santa Claus on the 25th of December. Saint Nicolas ("Sinterklaas" in Dutch) gives toys to the children. He arrives from Spain on a steamboat, aided by his helper known as Black Pete (or "Zwarte Piet" in Dutch). Originally the figure of Saint Nicholas was based on a bishop of that name from Turkey.

The tradition started in the Middle Ages. In current times the figure of Black Pete is often seen as racist. Traditionally he is portrayed as black because he goes through the chimney to deliver the gifts, therefore gets covered in soot. The figure is often portrayed using racial stereotypes. Black Pete is also considered to be the helper of Saint Nicolas, thus placing him in a sort of modern slavery role.

Answer: Windmill

The windmill is often seen by tourists as a typical Dutch building, mostly in combination with the thought that all Dutch people are wearing clogs. One of the earliest windmills comes from Greece however. In old times they were often used to mill grain. In current times they are more frequently used to generate energy.

There are few places where tourists can go to see a lot of windmills in one place. One of these places is called Kinderdijk, a small village in the province of Zuid-Holland. There are approximately 19 windmills located there in a row. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Answer: Red

The colours of the Dutch flag from top to bottom are red, white and blue. It is very similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which has these same three colours, but uses a lighter blue. The red colour is officially the shade vermillion. Originally the top colour was orange. It was later changed to red. It is said that red was considered to be more clear, but it is also said that orange was seen as too expensive a colour to use.

The color red is associated with the Dutch Labour Party, a socialist political party (called "Partij van de Arbeid" in Dutch). Its symbol is a red rose.

Answer: Caravan

The caravan is very often used in the Netherlands, especially in the summer when people go on holiday. Traditionally the caravan is attached to the car and then taken to a camping site where a place is rented to place the caravan. The Dutch sometimes call the caravan a "sleurhut". This refers to the towing of the caravan behind the car.

There are also larger types of caravan, that are used as a form of permanent residence. These types are often non-movable and are placed together in trailer parks. Popular Dutch singer Frans Bauer used to live in a trailer park, which increased the popularity of this type of residence. Often trailer parks are still seen as somewhat lower class.

Answer: Sprinkles

The Dutch have something of a sweet tooth. When eating their sandwiches at breakfast or lunch, sweet types of toppings are usually the most popular, especially with children. One particular popular form of topping is a form of sprinkles called "hagelslag" in Dutch. Along with "drop" (a type of licorice) it is the type of food most Dutch people miss when they are abroad, taking it with them on holiday.

"Hagelslag" comes in a lot of different types. Mostly the sprinkles are chocolate-based with some kind of fruit or anise added.

Answer: Skating

Ice skating is considered one of the national sports in winter. Most Dutch people learn to skate at a very young age. When it is cold, the Dutch love nothing better to go out and skate, often on natural ice as well. The "Elfstedentocht" is a skating race on natural ice going through eleven cities in the Dutch province of Friesland. It can only be held when it freezes long enough for the ice to be strong enough.

As a result of skating being popular, the Netherlands have a lot of speed skaters that compete on the international level. Popular champions include Sven Kramer and Ireen Wust.

Answer: Gnome

The gnome is a popular folk figure in the Netherlands. The Dutch word for a gnome is "kabouter". Gnomes are very small and live underground. Other variations have them living on giant mushrooms and wearing red pointy hats. Dutch illustrator Rien Poortvliet wrote a series on gnomes, becoming popular even outside the Netherlands. Later the series was turned into short animated films.

In Dutch politics, the "kabouters" were an anarchist movement in the 1970s. Their leader was Roel van Duijn. They were associated with hippies and focused on themes like nature and environment.

Answer: Soccer

One of the most popular sports in the Netherlands is soccer. Mostly young boys (and an increasing number of girls) start playing when they are about six years old. Of course they dream of one day making it into the Dutch national soccer team, also known as "Oranje".

The "Eredivisie" is the highest professional football league. In this league professional teams like PSV (from Eindhoven), Ajax (from Amsterdam) and Feyenoord (from Rotterdam) compete. The winner of the league is the National Champion and gains direct entry into the Champions League, the highest European soccer cup.