Dutch emigrees still talk Dutch and, eat stroopwafels and hagelslag

Dutch and Flemish nationals who have recently emigrated to other countries keep true to their roots, continue to speak their original language and celebrate traditional festivals such as Sinterklaas and Kings Day, according to research by language agency Taalunie and the Meertens Institute.

Of the almost 7,000 Dutch-speaking emigres who took part in the research project, 97% speak Dutch every week and 85% see the language as a key part of their identity.

An estimated one million Dutch nationals live abroad and the people in the survey lived in 130 different countries. More than half lived in Australia, the US and France and half were members of a Dutch or Flemish group in the country they lived in.

The stroopwafel was the most often mentioned Dutch food which emigrees hanker after or buy in their new country, followed by drop and hagelslag.