Q&A with Joris Vermeer
Joris Vermeer was behind the now-closed top Amsterdam restaurant Aan de Amstel. So he certainly knows a thing or two about good food. In De Aardappeleters (NPO2), he searches for the origins of dishes that Dutch people eat so often that they almost seem like a part of us. To Italy for bolognese, and not to China for babi pangang. Curious which dish he always keeps in the freezer?
Which food trend should we put an immediate stop to?
Oof, I’m not really one to tell others what they should do. I can always have a good laugh about hipster allergies, but whether people should stop doing that is for them to figure out. If I have to mention something, I would like to make a case for really good sushi. That’s a trend from 1664, I know, but a persistent one: stop eating all-you-can-eat sushi.
Save up your money and eat really well once in a while. I haven’t been able to eat that bulk sushi since I visited the Tsukiji fish market in Japan for De Aardappeleters and ate at a sushi restaurant with that episode’s protagonist, Marinus Noordenbos, where sushi was served to the Japanese prime minister. Sublime.
Most memorable dining experience?
At the beginning of last year, I went to Sweden with a friend to eat at Faviken. Everything was perfect, from the service to the menu to the interior. We sat there silently, happy, all evening. Hardly a word passed our lips; it was so intense and amazing. The journey there through the thick blanket of snow was enchanting in itself.
The whiskey drinking by the campfire was slightly spoiled by showy Americans, but fortunately I had made the reservation incorrectly, so we couldn’t stay overnight at the restaurant. We eventually slept two villages away and completely drank a bar dry there.
Favorite drink?
Negroni. The best drink ever invented. Three equal parts gin, red vermouth and Campari. And extremely easy to make yourself, even after you’ve already had a few.
I absolutely love cheese; nothing is too intense for me, but this takes it one step further.
Indispensable kitchen gadget?
I rebuilt my old kitchen from Aan de Amstel in a building in IJmuiden and moved all the restaurant’s equipment there. That means I enjoy the ultimate luxury of even having a Rational oven at home. Because of all the equipment there, cooking is much easier than in my house in Amsterdam, and yet it’s just as pleasant there, in our little kitchen. Everything always works out there too.
So get rid of all those useless objects. I brought back an incredibly beautiful chef’s knife from the fish market in Japan. It makes me incredibly happy every day. A good knife! Everything you need.
What will you never eat again?
I wasn’t a fan of the original version of sushi. It didn’t really resemble the version we know today; it was a freshwater fish that was fermented in rice for a long time. It’s also called Japanese cheese. I absolutely love cheese; nothing is too intense for me, but this takes it one step further. It’s incredibly sour and intense. Other than that, I’m an omnivore. I can’t quickly think of anything that puts me off eating it.
Which country is your favorite when it comes to food?
I’m really torn between Japan and Mexico. Japan is almost a cliché, but entirely justified. It’s impossible to eat badly there, no matter how hard you try. Unless you go looking for the original sushi.
What should everyone try at least once?
Floris Brester’s blood sausage from the pie bakery. I sometimes dream about it; it’s the best I’ve ever eaten anywhere in the world.
What is the best supermarket product?
Melba toast. I always have packets at home, for when you have an empty fridge. Or when people unexpectedly come over. It always comes in handy and is so delicious.
What’s still on your food wish list?
I want to go to China.
Which cookbook should everyone have on their shelf?
All of Yvette van Boven’s books. She’s my cousin, and we ran the restaurant together for years. If she hadn’t been family, I would undoubtedly also have mentioned her first book, Home Made. I use it very often when I don’t know what I feel like eating. I hardly ever cook from recipes in books, but it helps enormously when you don’t want to wander around a supermarket for three hours.
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
Ever since we went to Bologna for De Aardappeleters to make spaghetti bolognese and I learned the original recipe by heart, I’ve had to eat that dish a few times a month. I make one large pot at a time and keep portions in the freezer. I recommend that everyone do the same.
Which dish do you have no self-control around?
Surinamese sandwiches. Pom, bacon, salt cod. So delicious.
