BROODJE JANTJE DUKES IT OUT WITH BIG BOYS

The good news is, and there is no bad news, is that a small local burger chain in Tilburg ("Tilbury") is more than holding its own against the corporate world.
Broodje Jantje (which translates as "Johhny's little Buns"; the 'je' ending is diminutive), are sellers of a version of the hamburger that really should catch on here, because I would eat it. Their product is the most popular snack in Tilburg, North Brabant province, the Netherlands.

I've never even had it. Though when I lived in North Brabant I did go to Tilburg a few times. It's a nice medium-sized city, the natives of which are known as "potte zijkers" (pot pissers), because of the cloth dyeing industry.
Something having to do with a natural fixative.

[How can you NOT like a city which has pots to pee in?]


SIMPLE. FRESH.

A bun. A deep-fried meat patty. Grilled onions. Zesty sauce.

Invented in 1965 by Jan de Kort and his wife Mieke (nickname, I think, for Margaret). The meat was provided by his dad's butcher shop. Because beef is too lean, they used ground pork, with a light coating of finely ground rusk crumbs ("paneer meel"), which are often used in deepfrying as they give a thin crust without allowing grease absorption. No binders. So not battered, as the English do, nor double-dipped like Southern Fried. Better.

A crust like that gives a delicate crunchiness.

Photo by Peter Roek

SOURCE: Snack Koerier article

Red or brown. Red means with a spicy tomato sauce ("tingly on the tongue"), brown is with saté sauce, à la Indonésienne. From working men to students to family people with kids who remember it fondly from when they were children, the Broodje Jantje burger remains popular with Tilburgers, and there are now over half a dozen branches in the city.

Members of Dutch royalty also like it.


"Phenomenal!"

------Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands


After more than half a century in business, Johhny's are still thriving.

Again, I have never been to Broodje Jantje. The next time I go to Tilburg, that omission will be rectified. Probably in the first hour.

What I remember particularly from visiting Tilburg is purchasing a pound of fine cheese, and home made spekkoek available at a toko on the Stations Straat, about a block away from the train station. Different occasions.


The weather was rainy, and there was other great food, of course.
Plus cups of strong Dutch coffee.

During the rain one seeks shelter at a cafe, and wiles away the time reading newspapers and smoking one's pipe or a bolknak cigar, while slowly getting zipped to the gills on caffeinated beverages. Dutch people are often wired to a fare-thee-well, and quietly gregarious. We can handle stimulation.
The average American would be screaming his head off.
Six cups will do that to you.



SPEKKOEK

By the way; spekkoek, as mentioned above, is a moist cake of many alternating layers, pale yellow and deep brown, flavoured with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger. The batter is made in two batches, one with spices, the other not. They are poured successively on top of each other after the previous layer has gelled in the oven. It takes a little skill and a lot of patience to make, and it is considered one of the signature masterpieces of the Indo-Dutch kitchen. Your aunties probably gave you slices of it around the holidays. Properly made, the layers are thin, even, distinctly defined, and perfectly welded to each other.

I've made it often; mine are never perfect, but I think my recipe is the best.
I need to develop considerably more skill.

Great with coffee.




NA WOORD

Momenteel geniet ik van een sigaartje, en een kopje koffie. Het is bijna lunchtijd; ik denk er sterk over om naar 張寶仔粉面小食 op Stockton Street te gaan. Iets eenvoudigs, begrijpt u. Later in de middag bij bakkerij 永興餅家 mischien, of een poosje naar 地鐵站奶茶 voor Hong Kong Melk Thee en "people watching".
Vrije dag. Lui zijn.




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