Amsterdam: Squealing Eels & Stroopwafels

Andrew goes across the pond to Amsterdam, an iconic city reinventing traditional Dutch recipes with inspiration from around the globe. With a culture that thrives on nonconformity and a haven for mixed cultures, each dish has a large helping of flair. From pig head terrine and insect-filled nuggets to raw herring and goose meat krokets, Andrew discovers Amsterdam is a place where creativity and innovation are never off limits! Andrew's first stop is Gebroeders Hartering, to meet aspiring painter-turned-chef Paul Hartering. Paul has been utilizing his creative innovation by combining an array of global culinary techniques with Dutch ingredients to create new masterpieces. Paul gives Andrew a behind the scenes look at a few of his signature dishes, including head cheese cooked in a hollowed-out pig's head, and his delectable North Sea squid. With Paul's creative juices spilling over to his presentation, Andrew raves that his dishes truly taste just as good as they look. Killing time while Paul's dishes cook, Andrew meanders though Amsterdam's historic Albert Cuyp Market. The bustling market has been a local institution since 1905, with vendors selling all kinds of Dutch delicacies, from stoopwafels and pofferties to Gouda cheese and lumpia. Andrew witnesses firsthand how the Dutch culture has embraced modernization while still valuing foodways that date back to 200 B.C.! Next, Andrew and Chef Paul hop on Amsterdam's famously favorite form of transportation, bicycles, and find their way to Eetsalon Van Dobben The self proclaimed king of the kroket, Eetsalon produces 200 million scrumptious units produce each year. The 1950s-style diner also offers bitterballen, a round version of the mystery meat-filled kroket, and broodies, the delicious little sandwiches that are a standard Dutch lunch. Andrew and Paul dig in to these classic treats which Andrew likens to "comfort food cement spackle." Andrew ventures north to Volendam, the eel capital of Amsterdam. On his way, Andrew stops by the local street market to devour a raw herring, a traditional snack, usually swallowed in a single bite. Heading to Smit-Bokkum, Andrew meets Jan Smit, a 5th generation eel processor whose family has been in business since 1856. After hitting the Ijsselmeer with the legendary Schilder glass eel-fishing family for a 500-year-old experience that just may end with the current generation, Jan shows Andrew the art of eel auctioning. Back at Jan's smokehouse, the local eels are stomped, sliced and smoked on smoldering pine shavings. The last of a dying breed due to a decline in the eel population, Jan hopes his new lab, whose sole mission to synthetically breed eels in captive, will help save his town and revive the iconic Dutch tradition of eel fishing. For a true taste of Dutch modernization, Andrew buzzes over to Kreca farms, where researchers are investigating innovative ways to rebrand and consume insects. Never one to shy away from creepy crawlers, Andrew taste tests freeze-dried buffalo worms and nuggets made with buffalo worms. Andrew calls the insects good food and advocates that many problems would be solved if mainstream diets were to adopt the protein source. Finally, Andrew meets up with Martijn Van de Reep and Tom Zinger, who are doing their part to hunt a dent in Amsterdam's invasive goose population. After a quick hunting session, the young entrepreneurs bring Andrew to their kitchen at Gebroeders de Wolf for a taste exploration of their experimental takes on classic Dutch recipes using one main ingredient: goose!