Kibbeling and Lekkerbekje

In the Netherlands, the most popular market snack is kibbeling. The Dutch version of fish and chips is fried battered fish (usually cod or ray-finned whiting) with tartar sauce. The term kibbeling usually referred to cod cheeks, which were a staple of the Dutch diet in the nineteenth century. Previously, it referred to the waste parts of a fish, including the head, that were usually given to the poor, but by 1849, it only referred to the cheeks of the cod. In the 1950s, a fishmonger from IJmuiden had the brilliant idea of breading cod cheeks and selling them to tourists as a snack. And it quickly became popular.

Lekkerbekje is a type of kibbeling that has not been cut into pieces. It's typically served with patatje oorlog, which are thickly fried fries topped with mayonnaise. While you enjoy kibbeling, fried mussels seem to taste better, which are available in the same stalls as the kibbeling. Lots of people have never considered eating fried mussels, let alone battered ones, but they are delicious.