A Brief History of Hutspot

A few weeks ago Anna served what she and Robin called a "typical Dutch dinner during the winter" - a potato dish called hutspot. We had it again Monday night. It was the perfect meal on such a cold and wet day. I was looking up the recipe so I could make it for my family when I got home and I discovered that it has an interesting history.

The dish supposedly originated during the Spanish occupation of Holland. The people of Leiden were starving to death so William of Orange (of whom you can read about here) came to the rescue. He flooded the city so that his fleet could sail in and save the day. The Spanish were expelled and legend says that a little boy gathered the vegetables they left behind. Everything was mashed and cooked all together: potatoes, onions, and carrots. Thus, hutspot was born.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture for you. Some leftover hutspot is still sitting in the fridge but after a few days it doesn't look particularly appetizing. So, to keep this post from looking so bare here are some pictures of the children in the jack-o'-lantern masks I made for them last week in the spirit of an American Halloween.