Burgers to burghers

Visitors who come to Amsterdam often fall in love with the FEBO snack vending machines - great for a late-night snack.

I'd never really thought about their history before, but learned about it in Amsterdam Eats - a history in dishes at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam.

It turns out the reasons for these vending machines are pretty practical.

The vending machines were developed in the late 1930s. In 1937, the Netherlands passed an act regulating the opening hours of butchers and bakers, who had to close between 6pm and 5am. So, the vending machines, also called automats, were developed to allow them to sell products during the time period when they were legally closed.

FEBO itself was founded in 1941 - as Maison Febo (fancy), initially a bakery. It developed to start making and selling croquettes, opening its first vending machine in 1960. The name Febo comes from Ferdinand Bolstraat, a street in De Pijp in Amsterdam.

That street is named after Ferdinand Bol, a 17th-century Dutch artist. He was born in Dordrecht, and later moved to Amsterdam, where he studied and lived with Rembrandt. And just like Rembrandt, he painted portraits of the great and good of Amsterdam society.

The boyos above are the leaders of a wine guild - too much wine leads to the need for fast food. So, from one exhibition, in a circular way, we've gone from 21st century Amsterdam to the 1960s and 1940s and all the way back to the 16th century - via fast food.

At that exhibition, I also learned that Amsterdam once had a Hotel Adrian. It was on Kalverstraat, which is the city's main shopping street. The building now houses Urban Outfitters.

Thank you for reading + until next time,