Groningen (Netherlands) (AFP) – With a mischievous smile plastered on his face, Henk de Haan, 63, throws onions and carrots into a pot: the essential ingredients for snert, a thick soup made from winter vegetables and pork.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 10:57 Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 23:56

With around twenty other cooks, Mr. De Haan participates in the world championship of snert and stamppot (thick vegetable puree) which takes place every year in the city of Groningen, in the Netherlands.

If Mr. De Haan has gone years without ever winning a prize, this time he has a “secret weapon”: jalapeño peppers.

“I think they will never forget my soup,” he told AFP, laughing.

Traditional split pea soup and stamppot have been staple dishes for the Dutch for decades, served at winter markets or enjoyed with family.

During the annual championships, amateur and professional chefs from the Netherlands and beyond compete to win first prize in both categories, with a coveted silver ladle as prizes.

Gina Olthoff, 49, who works in disability care, sticks to a more traditional recipe passed down from her mother and grandmother.

“It’s a classic soup with lots of meat and lots of vegetables, lots of everything,” she pointed out.

- Fierce competition -

While the chefs bustle around their pots, five judges roam the aisles, notepads in hand, to evaluate their recipes and techniques.

The broth used as a base for the soup can be prepared in advance but the rest must be prepared on site.

The soup is only considered successful if a spoon can stand completely upright when placed in the pot.

“We first look at the ingredients: the broth, the vegetables,” explains Flang Cupido, 63, a cooking teacher who is participating in the championship for the fourth time this year as a judge.

Once the pea soup is served, grades are given for “taste, smell and texture,” he explains.

“We are really looking for a special soup, with a good taste. And original, with perhaps additional ingredients,” he adds.

Another judge, John Spruit, 58, previously worked at the gourmet restaurant in the town of Zwolle.

Having won the silver ladle himself in 2018, Mr Spruit knows what it takes to prepare exceptional snert.

“Dutch cuisine is not high-end cuisine but it is good cuisine. It always consists of potatoes, vegetables and meat,” he says.

Founded in 1995 as a local competition, the World Snert Championship has since grown to take up residence in the professional kitchens of Alfa-college, a vocational education center in Groningen.

Secret Ingredient

The competition, now organized by the Oud Hollandse Gerechten (Old Dutch Dishes) foundation, attracts a wide range of participants, from amateur cooks as young as 11 to professional chefs.

In 2001, the competition expanded to include the stamppot.

This championship is considered a true cultural event in the Netherlands, so much so that special stamps bearing the logo of a ladle and a potato masher have been issued.

Robin van Laan, 26, won first prize for the stamppot last year and is hoping to repeat his performance this year thanks to his secret ingredient: pickled onions.

"I present the dishes in a very careful way, really magnificent. It almost looks like a Michelin-starred dish. But it's just stamppot," he says.

When all the chefs have finished cooking, pots and plates are lined up outside the kitchen so that the judges can taste the contents before making their final decision.

The most coveted prize, that of snert, goes this year to Arthur Vos, 61, owner of a restaurant in the village of Garderen.

After finishing second last year, Mr. Vos said he was “very, very proud” to win the silver spoon this time.

"I trained tirelessly and now I'm first. It's great," he exclaimed.

© 2026 AFP

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