Eating Raw Herring in Amsterdam

Eating raw herring in Amsterdam is about as Dutch as it gets, bar wearing clogs at the same time and downing a Heineken afterwards. To some it may sound gross and disgusting, while to others it will sound delicious, especially if you like sashimi (raw fish in Japan).

I love sashimi and sushi so for me it’s a no-brainer that it’s good for my taste buds. I’ve had it a few times over the years, and whenever I visit Amsterdam I always go back to the same haringhandel (herring stall) at the Albert Cuyp Market. This has been a family run stall since 1916 and many tourists, as well as locals, stop by and devour some of the raw fish. In the Netherlands people have been eating this for centuries.

Like I said if you don’t like fish this will gross you out even if it wasn’t raw. However if you like fish but are not sure about eating it raw then give it a go, you may be surprised. The traditional Dutch way to eat raw herring is by holding your head back and letting it slip down your throat while you bite at it. Nom nom nom.

You eat the fish first with a few onions on and then the pickle afterwards. I personally prefer having no onions as it takes away the taste of the fish, but like a pickle afterwards to reset the taste buds. The raw herring in Amsterdam, or the Netherlands for that matter, is a snack and not a main meal. You can find these small haringhandel stalls all over the place as the Dutch love them.

Tourists came and went while I hanged around the stall, as they thought over whether they should give it a go.
One woman was seriously trying to come up with an excuse to her husband on why she shouldn’t eat it. She failed and tried a piece, and the facial expression was priceless. I only wished I had gotten a photo of the reaction.