Noord Brabant area

Noord-Brabant is a province in the south of the Netherlands with borders to the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the west and Belgium to the south. The Duchy of Brabant was a state of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. In 1815, Belgium and the Netherlands were united in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the province of Noord Brabant was established. In the last century it has become one of the major economical important, metropolitan regions of the Netherlands, contributing to 20%+ of the industrial production of the country.

With a population density of 501/km², North-Brabant is above average urbanized. Like most of the Netherlands, North Brabant is mostly flat but nearly every part of it is above sea level. Employment is found in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors, with agricultural and food processing companies such as Agrifirm, Bavaria, FrieslandCampina, Mars Incorporated, Nutreco, Royal Canin all having large production sites or their headquarters located in the province. The main agricultural products are corn, wheat and sugar beet, while cows and pigs are held as livestock. Other important industries are automobile production (e.g. General Motors in Breda and Tesla in Tilburg), electronics, textile and shoes.

Noord-Brabant’s cuisine is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups, stews, and vegetable dishes and is often called “Burgundian”. It is the only Dutch culinary region which developed an haute cuisine, as it is influenced by both German and French cuisine and it forms the base of most traditional Dutch restaurants, including typical main courses which are premium cuts of meat (pork or beef), accompanied by various sauces and potatoes which have been double fried in the traditional Dutch (or Belgian) manner. The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer. There are many local brands, ranging from Trappist to Kriek. Beer, like wine in French cuisine, is also used in cooking, often in stews.