How do you know when Dutch erwtensoep is thick enough?

Dutch erwtensoep is thick enough when a wooden spoon stands upright in the pot for a few seconds without help. Simmer the split peas, pork, vegetables, and potatoes until the peas collapse fully and the potatoes disappear into the soup.

What can I use instead of rookworst in snert?

Use a properly smoked sausage with a fine texture if Dutch rookworst is unavailable. Avoid fresh sausage because it lacks the smoky depth that defines snert. Warm the whole smoked sausage in the soup for the last 10 to 15 minutes, then slice it thickly.

Why are my split peas still hard after simmering?

Split peas stay hard when they are old or have been stored too long. For erwtensoep, buy green split peas from a shop with steady turnover, rinse them well, and simmer them with the smoked pork for about 1 hour before adding the vegetables.

Can I make erwtensoep ahead of time?

Yes, make erwtensoep up to 2 days ahead, cool it quickly, and refrigerate it covered. Snert tastes better the next day because the soup thickens in the cold and the smoky pork flavor settles through the split peas.

How do I reheat thick Dutch split pea soup without burning it?

Reheat Dutch split pea soup gently over low heat, stirring often along the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add water in small splashes until the soup returns to a thick spoon-standing consistency. Thick pea soup catches quickly if reheated too fast.

Freeze snert in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw the Dutch split pea soup overnight in the refrigerator, then warm it slowly while stirring often. Add a splash of water during reheating because the split peas continue thickening after freezing.

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Erwtensoep (Snert)

Name: Erwtensoep (Snert)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 6 generous servings
Cuisine: Dutch
Ingredients: 500g green split peas, rinsed well; 2 liters cold water; 1 smoked pork hock or 300g pork ribs; 150g smoked bacon, in one piece or thick slices; 2 bay leaves; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 leeks, washed well and sliced; 250g celeriac, peeled and diced; 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced; 2 carrots, diced; 1 small bunch celery leaf, chopped, plus extra to finish; 1 smoked rookworst, about 250g; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; Dark rye bread and butter, for serving

Created by

Snert is Dutch winter made edible: split peas, pork, leek, celeriac, and rookworst simmered until the spoon stands upright, because thickness is not folklore here, it is the test.

Soups & Stews

Dutch

Weeknight

Comfort Food

Make Ahead

25 min

Active Time

2 hr 30 min cook•2 hr 55 min total

Yield6 generous servings

My grandfather did not speak lightly about winter food. He had lived through the Hongerwinter, the famine winter of 1944 to 1945, when the western Netherlands learned how thin a meal could become and still be called dinner. So when cold came in from the North Sea, he made erwtensoep in a pot large enough to suggest either hospitality or panic. Usually both.

But let me tell you a secret: snert is not simply pea soup. Pea soup can be polite, pourable, served in bowls that behave themselves. Snert should nearly refuse the ladle. The Dutch name erwtensoep means exactly what it says, pea soup, but snert is the kitchen word, the winter word, the word that belongs to skaters, farm tables, football canteens, and a pot left on the back burner because everyone will want a second bowl later.

The method is the lesson. Split peas do not need cleverness; they need time enough to collapse. The vegetables are not decoration but architecture: leek sweetness, celeriac earthiness, potato to help the body set, celery leaf for that sharp green Dutch note at the end. Salt waits until the smoked pork and rookworst have spoken, because they have plenty to say.

Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. Rinse the peas, simmer the pork, add the winter vegetables, stir the bottom, and trust the spoon test. When a wooden spoon stands upright in the pot, the soup has become what it came to be. Make it a day ahead if you can. Snert understands tomorrow better than today.

Erwtensoep belongs to the older North Sea world of thick pea pottages, where dried peas provided cheap, storable protein through long winters and sea voyages; Dutch cookbooks and household manuals of the seventeenth century already treat pea soup as ordinary fare. The name snert is documented in Dutch usage by the nineteenth century for the thick, rustic form, distinct from a thinner erwtensoep served more like soup. Its modern winter identity, with rookworst, pork, leek, celeriac, and the famous standing-spoon test, is especially tied to home kitchens, skating rinks, and outdoor winter gatherings.

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Ingredients

green split peas

Quantity

500g

rinsed well

cold water

Quantity

2 liters

smoked pork hock or pork ribs

Quantity

1 hock or 300g ribs

smoked bacon

Quantity

150g

in one piece or thick slices

bay leaves

Quantity

onion

Quantity

1 large

chopped

leeks

Quantity

washed well and sliced

celeriac

Quantity

250g

peeled and diced

potatoes

Quantity

2 medium

peeled and diced

carrots

Quantity

diced

celery leaf

Quantity

1 small bunch

chopped, plus extra to finish

smoked rookworst

Quantity

1 sausage, about 250g

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quantity

to taste

dark rye bread and butter (optional)

Quantity

for serving

Ingredient	Quantity
green split peasrinsed well	500g
cold water	2 liters
smoked pork hock or pork ribs	1 hock or 300g ribs
smoked baconin one piece or thick slices	150g
bay leaves	2
onionchopped	1 large
leekswashed well and sliced	2
celeriacpeeled and diced	250g
potatoespeeled and diced	2 medium
carrotsdiced	2
celery leafchopped, plus extra to finish	1 small bunch
smoked rookworst	1 sausage, about 250g
salt and freshly ground black pepper	to taste
dark rye bread and butter (optional)	for serving

Equipment Needed

•Large heavy-bottomed pot, 5 liters or larger
•Long wooden spoon
•Sharp knife for winter vegetables

Instructions

1
Start the peas
Put the rinsed split peas, cold water, smoked pork hock or ribs, bacon, and bay leaves into a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then skim off the grey foam that rises in the first ten minutes. Lower the heat until the pot murmurs gently. This first hour is where the pork gives the water its backbone.
Do not salt the pot yet. Smoked pork and rookworst carry their own salt, and snert forgives many things more easily than an over-salted beginning.
2
Simmer until soft
Let the peas and pork simmer for about 1 hour, stirring now and then along the bottom. The peas will begin as neat little halves and end by losing their edges. That collapse is not failure; it is the whole point.
3
Add the vegetables
Add the onion, leeks, celeriac, potatoes, carrots, and most of the celery leaf. Simmer uncovered for another 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring more often as the soup thickens. The potato should disappear into the soup, the leek should soften completely, and the celeriac should give a quiet earthy sweetness.
4
Pull the pork
Lift out the pork hock or ribs and the bacon. Discard the bay leaves. Pull the meat from the bone, chop the bacon into small pieces, and return the meat to the pot. If the soup is already very thick, loosen it with a splash of water; it will thicken again before you can turn your back.
5
Use the spoon test
Let the soup simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes more, stirring the bottom carefully with a wooden spoon. The peas have surrendered by now, and they will stick the moment you stop paying attention. The soup is ready when a spoon stands upright in the pot for a few seconds without help. If it leans like a tired uncle, give it more time.
6
Warm the rookworst
Lay the whole rookworst into the soup for the last 10 to 15 minutes, just to warm through. Lift it out, slice it into thick coins, and return the slices to the pot or lay them on top of each bowl. Taste now, then season with salt and black pepper. Finish with the remaining celery leaf and serve with dark rye bread and butter.

Chef Tips

•Buy split peas from a shop with turnover. Old peas can stay stubborn and gritty after hours in the pot, which is a miserable trick for such a plain ingredient.
•A real rookworst matters. If you cannot find one, use a properly smoked sausage with a fine texture, not a fresh sausage pretending to understand winter.
•Snert is better the next day. It thickens in the cold and the smoke settles through the peas, which is why Dutch cooks make too much on purpose.
•Serve it when the weather asks for it. The calendar has a say here; snert in high summer is a heavy coat on the wrong chair.

Advance Preparation

•Make the soup up to 2 days ahead, cool it quickly, and refrigerate covered. Reheat gently, stirring often, and loosen with water until it returns to a thick spoon-standing consistency.
•Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm slowly, because thick pea soup catches on the bottom if rushed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)

Calories

835 calories

Total Fat

34 g

Saturated Fat

13 g

Trans Fat

0 g

Unsaturated Fat

19 g

Cholesterol

80 mg

Sodium

1950 mg

Total Carbohydrates

89 g

Dietary Fiber

27 g

Sugars

13 g

Protein

43 g

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Erwtensoep (Snert)

The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.