Eat your Herring

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

I find it interesting that so many European cultures have a special place for herring. I suspect that this has to do with how cheap and easy it has been to get for centuries. Plus it pairs well with potatoes; another classic staple. Although we aren’t as fish-centric here in Maastricht as our northern neighbors, herring still plays a role in the cuisine.

The classic herring dish in the Netherlands is Hollandse Nieuwe, a fillet of herring served raw (well, lightly brined) with raw chopped onions. Tail on, but (thankfully) headless. People traditionally eat this fish by lifting it by the tail and lowering the fish into their mouth. At first I was sure this was just a joke that Dutch folks play on their visitors, but I’ve now see enough people do it to be convinced. I suppose it make sense if you want street vendor foot that you don’t need special utensils for. On the other hand, eating and walking will often result in chopped onion bits everywhere.

The rest of the year herring is more often eaten on a bun or in a broodje. High-end restaurants even slip it in here and there to add a Dutch flair to their cuisine. And naturally it is always available in the grocery store.

Want to try a little Dutch-style herring in Maastricht? Your best bet is the Friday market on Markt square. Fresh fish from a street vendor with the full fish market atmosphere to accompany your tastebuds.

 

Cucumber Days for Maastricht Minutiae

Cucumber Days is what you call time when not much is happening. So if you’re busy are they pickle days?

Although we’re not going on holiday until later this summer, Maastricht Minutiae is going on a semi-hiatus for a while as I’m in the middle of another extra busy stretch. Watch (or sign up for the RSS feed) for my republished Maastricht Region articles here, and perhaps a few answered questions.

Got Questions?

I’ve like to try answering some of your questions about Maastricht or the Netherlands. If you’ve got a good question, submit it on Formspring. I’ll answer it there and use it for a blog post here.

Thank you ka_tate for the CC use of the cucumber photo via Flickr.

Pinksterdag at the Kanne Flea Market

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

We were presented with another long weekend with fine weather here in Maastricht last weekend. And we took advantage of it on Monday by biking out to Kanne for a Flea Market that was rumored to be the largest in Europe. I won’t say it’s that big, but it was pretty impressive.

Pinksterdag is the holiday of Pentecost in the Netherlands and it is celebrated as a two day holiday; granting (nearly) everyone in the country a national holiday Monday. In Kanne, they celebrate with a massive flea market that is visited every year by some 10,000 people. With only approximately 1150 inhabitants living there, this influx of visitors results in closed roads, special parking, and a fun mix of the old, new, and weird lining the streets for blocks. Much larger and better organized that the better known Queen’s Day market, I’m sad that I hadn’t heard about it sooner.

As with all good flea markets, the proof is in what’s selling. There was the usual mix of leftover junk and semi-vintage antiques, but the amount of interesting objects was pretty high. Old lab glass, brass clocks, a pink velvet couch, and a pith helmet; just to name a few. In addition we saw a few craftspeople: a woman hand-sewing horse halters and a young man hand-painting realistic marble textures. Very realistic! The churro cart had the best churros I’ve ever had; fresh and very sweet.

In addition to the sellers and craftspeople, Kanne looks like a pleasant little town that I’d like to bike back and visit again. Many Dutch people live there, commuting over the boarder to work in the Maastricht area, and we saw a handful of nice cafes. A small and cute church/shrine was open during the flea market and is worth a quick visit for people who enjoy visiting religious buildings. Castle Neercanne, which boasts elegant dining and all the historic promise of a palace, is also nearby. If you do visit, make sure you go by bike and enjoy the pastoral landscape along the borderland.

 

Congrats to the Maastricht Mooiste Runners

I’m pretty jealous of the folks who ran the 5K, 10K, and 15K races on Sunday in the Maastricht Mooiste. My hip isn’t better yet and it’s kept me out of my running shoes for 3 weeks and counting. When a lazy person like me gets a bit of exercise momentum, it really stinks to lose it. So instead of running, I went down to cheer on all the folks running. In particular I was there for the IWC women, about 10 of whom ran.

Maastricht Mooiste’s 5K & 10K started at 10 am, and the 15K began at noon (unfortunately when it was getting hot in the sun). I had run the 5K route a couple of times before being sidelined, and it really seemed like a minitour of Maastricht itself, with lots of right turns to take you though important parts of the old city. I’m told the 15K ran well out of the city and up two hills to bring runners through the countryside. I doubt I’ll be up to a 15K for a long time, but it sounds like it would make a good bike ride.

Back at the Markt square where everything began and ended, I had a good time watching the way people ran. Everyone has their own technique; some of which seem pretty efficient and others that appear quite silly. I noticed that lots of people sprinted the last bit of their run; trying to shave a couple of seconds off right at the end.

Maybe they were just after the vlaai.

Or, like this guy who ran the 10K, they forgot their shoes.

At the end of the day all the people I know finished their runs and seemed not particularly worse for wear. Footraces seem to be much more interesting once you’ve been involved a little in the sport.

Congratulations to all the IWC runners (and the pair of gentlemen I know)!

Explore the Maastricht Underground

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

As the weather gets slowly warmer, I encourage you to share in an old tradition and go explore the caves of Maastricht. You’ll be able to keep cool, learn a bit of history, and view a variety of remarkable graffiti and art dating back generations. If you’re afraid of the dark, don’t forget to bring your own flashlight. It’s dark.

Grotten Zonneburg

Grotten Zonneburg was the first cave I visited in Maastricht, and it remains my personal favorite. Located just outside the city by Buitengoed Slavante, Slavante 1 on St. Pietersburg, Zonneburg is actually a cavernous mine where people have been digging the local marl stone since the Roman Empire. As time and technology wore on, people were able to dig deeper and in more layers, resulting in the twisty and confusing space you can now visit. The Zonneburg cave has also been used for growing mushrooms and as a hiding place from invading armies all the way up to World War II. The generations of graffiti and art alone is worth the visit. You can join a guided tour in English from July 2nd until September 4th at 1.50 pm. Tours are also available in Dutch and German.

Grotten Noord

Like Zonneburg, Grotten Noord is a marl cave dug out over generations. In fact, it is all part of the same network of caverns, although the two areas are blocked from each other today. Located by café Chalet Bergrust, Luikerweg 71, Noord is a slightly smaller cave, but the tour offers plenty of different information. With this tour you can learn more about the dinosaur fossils that have been discovered in Maastricht over the years. And you can see where Napoleon’s men attempted (and failed) to blow up the St. Pietersburg Fort. Tours for Grotten Noord can be had in English from April 30th – July 1st, Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm; June 2nd, 11th-13th at 2 pm; and September 5th – October 30th, Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. Again Dutch and German tours are offered as well.

Kazematten

The Kazematten is a different kind of cave. Instead of an elaborate mining shaft, it is a network of defensible tunnels running beneath Maastricht that were once considered vital to the protection of the city. During sieges, the tunnels could be used to surprise the enemy or to hide civilians. After World War II, a small fallout shelter was built in the kazematten in order to protect some citizens against a potential nuclear war. The remains of the shelter can still be seen. Regular Kazematten tours are in Dutch only, but you can arrange for an English language group tour.

Want more information about these fun, underground experiences? Check out Maastricht Underground.

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