Brandwijk Holland: dried pulses with character

Who's behind it

Brandwijk sits in Velserbroek, against the dunes of North Holland, and has been doing one thing for generations: dried pulses. Beans and peas, grown on Dutch fields, dried, cleaned and sorted before they go in the bag.

Within that speciality the range is broad: brown beans, Dutch peas, Frisian woud beans, speckled beans, butter beans, black-eyed peas and split peas. From fine creamy little beans to firm peas that keep their bite. They come in bags from half a kilo to ten kilo. Part of the range is also available organic.

Why these beans

A dried bean ages too. The longer it sits, the drier the skin and the worse it absorbs water. Brandwijk states the harvest year, so you know what you're bringing in and whether it will cook evenly tender.

Dutch cultivation means short supply lines. Dutch peas and split pea soup belong to how food has traditionally been cooked here. Because it's a dried product, you take what you need and the rest keeps for months.

In your kitchen

Pulses have a low food cost. Think split pea soup, a plate of Dutch peas with bacon and gherkin, or a salad of black-eyed peas.

Put the origin on the menu, for example "brown beans from North Holland". You can also work ahead: soak a big batch, cook it through and portion it out. Then a protein-rich, plant-based main is on the table within fifteen minutes.