Notes About Dutch Words

A plural is generally formed by the addition of ‘-en’ to a word, as in krakeling (one pretzel) or krakelingen (many pretzels); or vlaai (pie) and vlaaien (many pies). The suffix ‘-je’ usually indicates a diminutive, as ‘-ette’ would in French or English, e.g. Nieuwjaarsrolletjes (New Years’ rollettes). Sometimes we also add ‘-ke’ to a word as in vlaai (one large tart) or vlaaikes (small tartlets). To indicate that a recipe belongs to a particular town or place, we use the suffix ‘-se’, in place of ‘-ese’ or ‘-ian’, as in Diestse (from Diest) or Brugse (from Bruges).