HEMA Rookworst

HEMA may be best known as a Dutch department store selling clothing, household products, stationery and almost everything in between, but one of its most famous products is something entirely different: the HEMA rookworst.

The story of the sausage began by accident at HEMA’s Nieuwendijk branch in Amsterdam. In 1936, the store manager mistakenly ordered too many sausages for the in-store restaurant. Rather than throwing away the surplus, he heated the sausages, cut them in half and sold them as a warm snack to people shopping on the Nieuwendijk.

The improvised snack became an unexpected success. Other HEMA stores copied the idea and the warm half-smoked sausage gradually developed into one of the Netherlands’ most recognisable foods. Today, HEMA sells approximately ten million rookworsten annually.

The sausage is prepared using a recipe that HEMA has kept secret for decades. It is smoked for several hours over beech and oak wood, creating its distinctive aroma, juicy interior and characteristic firm casing.

At HEMA stores with a restaurant or takeaway counter, visitors can order half a warm rookworst with mustard and eat it directly from the hand. Whole packaged sausages are also available to take home and are traditionally served with Dutch stamppot or pea soup.

HEMA also serves its popular hotdog: a smaller sausage inside a soft roll, usually accompanied by HEMA’s distinctive mustard sauce. It is a lighter and easier snack, although the warm rookworst remains the true Dutch classic.

Vegetarian visitors can look for the ookworst, HEMA’s meat-free alternative to the traditional smoked sausage, or the vegetarian notdog. Availability can vary between stores.

You can find HEMA stores throughout Amsterdam, but not every smaller location has a restaurant or takeaway counter. Look for a larger branch offering fresh food.