Dutch term – Gaarkeuken

18 April 2022 by 1 Comment

A gaarkeuken is a soup kitchen, a place where poor people could go to be fed.

Gaarkeukens are best known from World War II, when the watery soup they supplied was the only food for many people in the west of the country. The Hunger Winter of 1944/1945 had left people desparately hungry. Soup kitchens remained in use for a while after the liberation, until people were able to take care of themselves again.

Nowadays, the word gaarkeuken is no longer in use, but there are voedelbanken (food banks) that supply groceries to people who cannot afford it. Unlike the gaarkeukens, the food in voedselbanken is not prepared.

Gaarkeuken in Amsterdam, 1945. Still from YouTube video, below.

Video

This YouTube video shows a soup kitchen in Amsterdam in 1945, shortly after the liberation.

Filed Under: Dutch terms Tagged With: ,
About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Erick Staal says
    1 December 2023 at 10:39 am

    A small addition, the term Gaarkeuken with a capital G can also refer to a placename of a small hamlet in the province of Groningen.

    Reply

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