Definition:Amsterdamse uien are a variety of pickled onions eaten in the Dutch province of North Holland.

Origins & Etymology:

While the name “Amsterdam onions” seems to imply a thoroughly Dutch heritage, this pickle is, in fact, a legacy of Amsterdam’s Jewish immigrant population. During the Netherland’s Twelve Year Truce with Spain (1609 - 1621) the small Portuguese-Jewish community in Amsterdam grew rapidly, bolstered by the prevailing religious tolerance in Amsterdam.


Later, Ashkenazi Jews followed – mostly poor immigrants and refugees from Germany and Eastern Europe. By the end of the 17th century the Ashkenazi Jews were the dominant group and they would ultimately determine the character of the Dutch-Jewish food culture.

Jewish dietary staple

In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden explains that pickled vegetables were a dietary staple for Ashkenazi Jews. The delicious sharp flavor was not only a welcome addition to their bread-and-potato diet, but also provided a way to preserve vegetables and herring. For generations, it was an autumn custom for Ashkenazim to fill barrels with cucumbers, beets and shredded cabbage. The mixture was left to ferment in a warm place for several weeks, and then relocated to cool, dark cellars. The pickles would last through the long cold winter until spring, when new crops of fresh produce were available. And, while pickles are only a small aspect of Jewish cuisine, they were masters of pickling. Every Jewish family had at least two barrels in the basement, one for gherkins and one for sauerkraut, says Roden.

In Amsterdam, Jewish pickle merchants sold their wares from street carts (Amsterdam’s first food trucks?). It’s interesting to note that what was once a frugal food – sold and eaten by the poor - has now become a prized delicacy, beloved by Dutch people of all walks of life.

How Amsterdamse uien are made:

Typically, fresh onions or shallots are placed in a pickle of vinegar and spices shortly after harvest. The traditional use of saffron (turmeric or the colorants E 100 and E101 are now also used) gives Amsterdamse uien their distinct yellowish appearance.

While there were once many artisan picklers in Amsterdam, today Fred de Leeuw is the only one left. A fourth generation pickler, he still sells the genuine article in his small shop in Rivierenbuurt, the formerly Jewish neighbourhood where Anne Frank once lived. De Leeuw sticks to the traditional recipes of his great-grandfather Isaac de Leeuw, which was also sold to industrial picklers Kesbeke and Volwater. According to De Leeuw, who uses mainly shallots and pearl onions, the secret is in the pickle, their blend of spices, and their vat-ripening process.

Also known as:  Amsterdamse uitjes (Diminutive form); Jodenzuur (‘’Jewish pickle’’).

Sources:Amsterdams Stadsblad, August 2007;  Geschiedenis van de Joden van de Lage Landen (L. Abicht, Amsterdam, 2006);  The Book of Jewish Food (Claudia Roden, Knopf, USA, 1996).