Europa 2020
The stamps will feature a postillion on horseback, a resting horse and a stagecoach. Until the advent of the railways, this was the way mail was transported throughout Europe for centuries.
Issue Date:11.05.2020 Designer:studio26, Arnhem Printer:Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem Process:Offset Colours:black, PMS 072 blue, PMS 871 gold and phosphorus Size:Stamp Size: 36 x 25mm, Sheet Size: 108 x 150mm
Typically Dutch : Bitterballen
This year, the Typically Dutch series focuses on foods and dishes that are typical for the Netherlands. This fifth issue focuses on the bitterbal, a staple served with other deep-fried snacks at receptions and in cafés. Bitterballen are deep-fried balls with a diameter of approx. 4 cm that are filled with a thick white sauce that usually contains meat. This round version of the croquette used to be eaten to accompany a “bittertje”, a strong alcoholic herbal drink such as gin, hence the name bitterbal. This snack, usually eaten with mustard, is very popular in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The bitterbal is also known in Surinam and Indonesia, but nowhere else.
The first mention of a bitterbal can be found in a dictionary from 1946. In the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, the bitterbal is described as a “deep-fried ball of spiced meat ragout, with a breaded, crunchy exterior, usually served as a snack with a drink.” Vegetarian bitterballen are also available nowadays. The bitterbal is a youngster compared to the croquette (known as kroket in Dutch). Connoisseur and culinary reviewer Johannes van Dam found out that it was first mentioned way back in 1691, when croquettes were already being made for the French king Louis XIV. The first printed Dutch croquette recipe is from 1851.
Issue Date:15.06.2020 Designer:Edwin van Praet, Total Design, Amsterdam Illustrator:Scrambled Media, Amsterdam Printer:Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Haarlem Process:Offset Colours:4 Colours Size:40 x 30mm
Coastal Birds
The stamps feature the following coastal birds: little stern, Arctic skua, ruddy turnstone, snow bunting, black-legged kittiwake, great black-backed gull, shore lark, pied avocet, purple sandpiper and Kentish plover. Transparent images of seven of the ten birds have been incorporated into a separate graphic layer on the stamp sheet: the pied avocet, little stern, ruddy turnstone, great black-backed gull, Arctic skua, purple sandpiper and snow bunting.Most of the birds on the stamps are on the Dutch Red List of breeding birds or migratory birds / winter visitors in the Netherlands. The Dutch Red List of breeding birds includes 87 bird species, or 44 percent of all species that breed in the Netherlands. The number of bird species in the danger zone increased by nine compared to the previous list from 2004. Ten species are seriously endangered, such as the short-eared owl and the little bittern.
Issue Date:15.06.2020 Designer:Frank Janse, Gouda Printer:Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Haarlem Process:Offset Colours:4 Colours Size:30 x 40 mm
