Haarlem Grocery Exploration

After an afternoon of wandering around Haarlem, we decided to make our way back to the train station, stopping at various shops along the way.  The first was Tromp Kaashuis, a cheese market (which appears to have multiple locations all around the Netherlands), on Barteljorisstraat.

There were so many different types of cheese at Tromp.  The sad thing was that we knew we couldn't buy anything because there was no way we could get on a plane (especially back to the US) with cheese.  No one wants to have delicious food thrown away at customs!  But we enjoyed looking at all the different types of cheese, including some we had never seen before like this green cheese (pesto cheese).  There was also sambal cheese and so many other varieties.

Near the front entrance, there were some cheeses to sample.  We tried the fenugreek one and it was really, really good.  If we were going to be around longer, and had time for cheese and crackers while hanging out, we might have gotten some.

Highly recommend a stop at Tromp.  Even if you can't buy anything, the breadth of their cheese selection is impressive and worth a look.

Our next stop was at HEMA on Kruisstraat, which I think is a Dutch chain of discount department stores.  They also have a food section with some ready to eat items and other grocery items.  I found a package of ossenworst for only 1 euro and was so surprised to find this liverwurst and other meats for under 1 euro.  So cheap!  Didn't look like the quality was that bad either.

Our last stop before grabbing a snack (next post) was Albert Heijn, the grocery chain you see all over the Netherlands including a small outpost in the airport.  (We've written about Albert Heijn adventures in Amsterdam before here and here.)  I figured, from past experience, they might have some Haribo candy so we stopped in and grabbed some snacks (sadly no Smurfs).  I know some people prefer the Turkish-made Haribo bears we get in the US, but I really like the German-made candy.  It tastes different and I'm convinced it tastes better.  Each European trip includes some Haribo souvenirs (if we don't eat them all before going home).

One of our favorite finds of the Haarlem trip was this lemon passionfruit water made by Crystal Clear.  It was a non-carbonated flavored water, and the big reason we liked it was the fruit flavor.  It was so natural and did not taste artificial at all, unlike some of the flavored water we can get here in the US.  We really liked it but unfortunately this Albert Heijn location was the only place we have found it so far.

We love stopping in at grocery stores and food shops when on vacation.  Often we end up walking around saying "why can't we get this at home?" over and over, but it's nice to see what is available elsewhere.  We'll be looking for that Crystal Clear water on future trips!