Eating a lot of cheese is a well-known Dutch daily habit, but did you know you could win global titles for it?

Well, the Netherlands just did! New research by Mintel lists the top 10 cheese-loving nations across the world — and the Dutch have won the crown.

Crunching the nom-bers

So how exactly do you quantify a nation’s love of cheese? The research considered factors such as cheese imports, production and general interest. 

The stats were gathered using the UN Comtrade, Cheese.com (yes, it’s a real site), and Google search data. 

Each country then received a score out of 100 — and the Netherlands really sliced up the competition, beating the likes of France and even the US!

So, who else did the Netherlands beat? Check out the rankings below:

The Dutch go above and brie-yond

As you can see, the Dutch won by a long shot, and the whopping score of 76.8 is even more impressive when you consider the relatively small Dutch population of 17 million. 

This doesn’t stop the Netherlands from scoring big elsewhere in the cheese leagues — they also made the most Google searches for ‘cheese’ per capita in the whole world.

READ MORE | Let’s talk cheesy: cheese tourism in the Netherlands

And once they’re done staring at cheese on their computer screens, it’s time for the Dutch to import some. The research found that per Dutchie, an average of more than 3.1kg and $14 worth of cheese is imported annually. 

However, the biggest importer globally is actually France, spending $374 million on cheese every year. A good investment, we believe!

READ MORE | Dutch cheese varieties: the comprehensive (and cheesy) guide

We already knew the Dutch loved cheese so edam much. Now they have the official title to prove it.  

What’s your favourite Dutch cheese? Tell us in the comments below!

Police officers in the Hague arrested a suspiciously successful street newspaper seller on Saturday. 

To the officers’ surprise, the paper in the seller’s possession went far beyond the expected product. Newspapers, yes, but also stacks of €50 notes — 636 of them.

Providing his papers?

Initially approached in connection with an ongoing check for ondermijning (“subversion”), the vendor was unable to show any ID. 

“That is why he was arrested”, explains a spokesperson for The Hague police to the AD.

Show me the money!

Once at the station, he was asked to empty his pockets onto the table. 

It must have taken a while — after all, counting out €31,800 in €50 notes can’t be quick.

With the total counted, the man was interrogated and found to be staying in the Netherlands illegally. 

So where did the cash come from? No idea. The man has now been released and the mystery money is in the hands of the Identification and Human Trafficking Department (AVIM).

Looks like this newspaper seller has plenty of issues — legal ones, at least.

Were you as surprised as us to hear about this suspicious seller? Tell us in the comments below!

Feeling lonely? Forget Tinder or Hinge. Perhaps it’s time to get yourself a holographic partner. Who knows, perhaps you’ll get married! The Dutch certainly won’t mind, it seems.

In fact, the Netherlands is about to become the first country in the world where a wedding ceremony will take place between a human and a hologram.

The Spanish artist, Alicia Framis, is currently preparing to marry her hologram boyfriend, AILex, in a ceremony that will take place on the roof of the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

But…why?

The ceremony is all part of a ‘performance’ by the Spanish artist.

According to Euronews, with this project, she hopes to reflect on the relationships between humans, AI, and contemporary art.

Framis writes on her website:

“Love and sex with robots and holograms are an inevitable reality. They make great companions and are capable of expressing empathy. Just as telephones saved us from loneliness and filled the void in our lives, holograms as interactive presences in our homes can take it even further.”

AILex was created by Framis using a profile of people she knows. She also decided that he should be a Dutchman!

READ MORE | 7 innovative Dutch projects for a sustainable future

“I want this man to be Dutch because most of my boyfriends were Dutch, but this time, it’s a romantic relationship between a woman and artificial intelligence.”

In a series of videos and images shared on her Instagram, Framis shares her interactions with her hologram partner.

To be fair, if he wasn’t see-through, I would have been fooled into thinking AILex was a real man.

By marrying her holographic boyfriend, Framis hopes “to explore the practical and ethical issues concerning humans in close relationship with AI.”

What do you think of Framis’ mission? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

One pet owner in Lelystad is not having such a great day right now. Their pet cobra has gone missing — and it’s causing quite the stir.

According to reports by the NOS, the unconventional pet went missing from its owner’s home on Monday.

Yesterday, the municipality of Lelystad warned its residents to keep windows and doors closed, and keep their own pets indoors or on a leash.

The specific snake in question, a shield-nosed cobra, isn’t as poisonous as other cobras — but you should still stay at least one metre away if you come across it.

Could still be in the house

However, all this chaos may be for nothing, as one snake expert believes the cobra may actually still be in the house.

Speaking to radio programme Nieuws en Co, Walter Getreuer, owner of a reptile zoo, explains that the outdoor weather conditions would be too harsh for the snake.

He attended the owner’s home with his specially trained dog to search for the pet. While he didn’t find the snake, he did find several cats.

Getreuer explains to the programme that his dog can only signal the snake’s presence if he is within one metre of the snake, however, the presence of cats in the house may have caused the snake to hide within the home.

“That is a clear predator for a snake. If it is hidden very deep somewhere, my dog ​​does not give a signal,” he says.

However, if you do happen to come across the escapee, please stay at least one metre away and call 112.

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We’ve all got our flight from hell stories, but this one has to take the cake. Passengers on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit were left disgusted after maggots started falling from the overhead compartment.

And where did these maggots come from? A carry-on bag containing rotten fish.

Falling on a woman

The drama onboard began while the Delta Air Line plane was taking off. Speaking with RTL Nieuws, passenger Philip Schotte tells all:

“During takeoff, I noticed that the woman was doing something… At one point, I saw her wiping maggots off her seat with a piece of paper. She told me that the maggots were falling from the overhead compartment above us. She was quite shocked by it.”

A rotten surprise

Once the airline crew opened the baggage compartment above the woman, even more maggots fell on top of her — someone was having a bad day.

They then discovered a bag containing a sufficiently stinky rotting fish. “Everyone who was sitting near the bag pinched his or her nose,” Schotte tells RTL Nieuws.

The owner of the bag was identified and explained that the bag contained fish.

Return to Schiphol

The bag was initially wrapped in plastic and taken to the back of the plane. However, the pilot eventually made the decision to turn the plane around and return to Schiphol.

Schotte doesn’t know what became of the man who decided to board a plane with a rotting fish.

He was just amazed that no one had noticed the stinking luggage until the plane was taking off.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup

We’re all doing what we can to cut costs this year, from avoiding fine dining to stealing from the self-checkouts.

However, Aldi Nederland has a tip of their own — and it’s got us peeling with laughter.

Why? Because according to Aldi Nederlands’ TikTok, you can cut costs by peeling your bananas before checking out.

Forget cutting costs, just peel ’em

We always say it, the Dutch really know their stuff when it comes to innovation, and this technique proves us right once again.

So, next time you’re in the Aldi with a hankering for bananas, you know what to do.

READ MORE | Cheapest supermarkets in the Netherlands: the ultimate 2024 guide

If people give you funny looks, just tell them to talk to their social media intern about it.

Will you be trying this hack out? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

The Dutch amusement park industry was left speechless when PETA Nederland, the well-known animal rights organisation, urged De Efteling to remove horses and other animals from its carousels.

“It is not of this time to exploit animals for entertainment”, says PETA Nederland spokesperson Janneke Hogervort to the AD.

“Amusement parks don’t mean it that way, but children get the feeling that it’s normal to use animals purely for our pleasure.”

PETA Nederland argues that De Efteling is one of the largest amusement parks in Europe and that they have a big influence on other parks. Even if they just mention that they’re considering changing their carousels, it will bring up an “important discussion”.

Puzzled reactions

Needless to say, people were confused and amused — “I try to find the right words without laughing,” says the President of the National Association of Fairgrounds, Atze J. Lubach-Koers.

“There is no adult with a full mind who thinks this is necessary. Maybe we should tell PETA that the horses are not alive.” You said it.

In de Efteling staan de oudste carrousels van Nederland, de oudste is uit 1865. Denk niet dat we die moeten gaan slopen. https://t.co/4wBEfZXxGZ

— Lammert de Bruin (@lammert) February 8, 2024

Translation: “The Efteling has the oldest carousels in the Netherlands, the oldest dates back to 1865. Don’t think we should demolish them.”

Even the Dutch Animal Protection organisation was baffled: “We had to look at the calendar when we read the news about removing horses from merry-go-rounds because apparently April 1 is now in early February,” said spokesperson Niels Kalkman.

It’s all about conversation

PETA Nederland suggested swapping horses, elephants, and giraffes with cars, airplanes, and spaceships, among other things.

De Efteling has said it will “follow” the conversation — but hasn’t confirmed if they’ll actually change anything.

READ MORE | 14 thrilling theme parks in the Netherlands in 2024

Of course, PETA was just looking to stir the pot, and it’s certainly not the first time they’ve done so. Previously, they’ve urged LEGO to get rid of farm sets and asked American food manufacturers to stop making animal crackers.

“It’s in our style to stimulate this kind of discussion in a slightly provocative way. We don’t mind. The conversation is the most important thing to us,” says Hogervorst.

Do you think theme parks and fairs should get rid of animals in their carousels? Tell us in the comments!

The rich are getting richer, the globe is getting hotter, and wars are getting bloodier — yet one thing stays the same: Amsterdam tourists hopping on the latest food trend that TikTok says they should try.

As suggested in a deep-dive by Het Parool journalist Hans van der Beek, the latest sensation gripping the nation (or, well… Amsterdam) is stroopwafels.

Dress (your stroopwafels) for success

Make no mistake — these are not your average €2.45 twelve-pack stroopwafels from Albert Heijn.

Costing around €13 a pop, these sweet treats are from Amsterdam’s internet-famous Van Wonderen Stroopwafels.

Featuring a variety of delicious toppings, from chocolate shavings to tiny blocks of caramel fudge, it’s clear that Van Wonderen’s fare has massive social media appeal.

In the words of one stroopwafel enthusiast interviewed by Het Parool, she was prompted to visit the store after seeing an “incredibly aesthetic and cute video on TikTok”.

READ MORE | Stroopwafels unwrapped: Discover the sweet story behind the Dutch classic

Off TikTok, however, people were singing an entirely different song.

€39 for three stroopwafels

A tweet by a self-dubbed “stroopwafel-influencer” recently went viral for exposing a €39 bill… for three stroopwafels.

Yes, three.

Twitter/X users were quick to point out the hilarity of the situation, with one even noting that you can head to the store’s website and “buy a whole pack of 10 for €8.50”.

Oh, and not to mention that similar stroopwafels, with toppings and all, cost you about €3.50 at the local Albert Cuyp street market.

Time is clearly not of the essence

And how long does one have to wait in line for the chance to plonk down a casual €13 for just one stroopwafel, you might be wondering?

Well, according to another tourist interviewed by Het Parool, sampling this particular TikTok trend could involve an hour-and-a-half-long wait to place your order.

Yes, you read that right: wait times can take over an hour, as every TikTok enthusiast in the city rushes to board the stroop-filled hype train.

What’s your verdict on €13 stroopwafels? Tell us all your thoughts in the comments below!

An Amsterdam expat has published an open letter to complain about the noise from the city’s historic Westerkerk bells — and her Dutch neighbours aren’t impressed.

Wait, what? Yup, this woman moved to a historic city, into an apartment next to a centuries-old church and is now complaining about its bells.

To put this into perspective: that’s as if someone moved into a home right next to an airport and complained about the planes.

But the story gets worse. Through the magic of social media, the woman is now getting some pretty intense online hate, as De Telegraaf writes.

A call for help

Let’s rewind to the beginning.

The whole debacle started on good ol’ Facebook, where an international woman living in Amsterdam wrote an open letter suggesting silencing the belltowers of the Westerkerk at night.

“My partner and I have lived in the neighbourhood for over 2 years now,” she writes, and “before the renovation, bells rang every 15 minutes, all day and night”.

The woman had previously contacted the city council about the issue, who told her that “it would need more complaints to make a change”.

So, the woman took it upon herself to call on others who share her annoyance.

In her letter, she asks those who share her sentiment to “ask the City if bells could stop at night in order to guarantee better sleep.”

Furious Amsterdammers

After the letter has been shared and re-shared hundreds of times, Amsterdam locals and Dutchies from all over the country are now taking to social media to express their opinions.

And they’re frustrated (to say the least).

“Go back to your country”, “learn Dutch”, and “Here starts the bullshit again” — those are just some reactions that have surfaced online.

Other people are saying that “these new Amsterdammers have no idea what this church and this tower means to us.”

The overwhelmed writer of the letter regrets taking to Facebook.

As she tells De Telegraaf: “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt anyone or force anything, just exchange thoughts.” “I do my best [to learn Dutch] and love the city. What should I do now? Move?”

Are Amsterdammers right to ruthlessly attack the woman? No. Is the woman entitled to have an opinion? Yes. But should she have expected bells when she moved next to a church? Also yes.

I’ll say this: If she has enough money to live in the Jordaan neighbourhood, then she has enough money to move into a flat where there will be absolute blissful silence.

What do you think about this discussion? Whose side are you on? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Have you ever seen those videos of people going crazy over Black Friday deals in the United States? Well, something similar just happened at a branch of the Dutch supermarket PLUS.

The deal in question? Six rolls of toilet paper from the brand Page for a single Euro!

Usually these cost a little over €4, so I’ll admit it’s a great deal — but apparently too great of a deal for PLUS to handle.

Chaos and verbal aggression

It’s no secret that the Dutch love a good korting (discount), but PLUS branch owner Marco Meeuwsen was shocked when he saw the extent of it.

READ MORE | Cheapest supermarkets in the Netherlands: the ultimate 2024 guide

Camera images of the store show customers pushing each other in an attempt to snag some toilet paper and running to the cash register with full shopping carts.

But things got a little out of hand. Several employees of the store were faced with verbal aggression — including teenagers. Luckily, no physical fights broke out.

“It was not a fun day”, Meeuwsen tells RTL Nieuws.

Wat hebben mensen toch met wc papier?
Plus-filiaal ‘geplunderd’ na wc-papieraanbieding: ‘Mensen scholden zelfs jonge medewerkers uit’ https://t.co/z47BjHreOq

— 𝓔𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪, (@She_Wolf65) January 15, 2024

Translation: “What do people want with toilet paper? Plus branch ‘looted’ after toilet paper offer: ‘People even aggressed young employees'”

“We thought we were good with 800 packages [for a day],” Meeuwsen says, but they were all sold out within four minutes.

But don’t be disappointed just yet! If you want to snag the offer yourself, you’re in luck: PLUS has confirmed that the promotion will continue until Saturday.

Please, just be respectful to the staff.

How far would you go for some rolls of toilet paper? Share your thoughts in the comments!