Until 1926, department stores catered exclusively to the wealthy elite. Upscale stores bombarded their customers with French terms and sky-high prices. Founders Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac changed all that on November 4, 1926. They opened the very first Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam (HEMA) on Kalverstraat.
HEMA suddenly made everyday items affordable for the general public. A simple plate, bar of soap, or towel cost just a few stuivers. Ten years later, however, a remarkable incident took place on the Nieuwendijk. An unexpected blunder by the store manager changed the retail chain forever.
An Accidental Bestseller
The success story of the smoked sausage began with a massive calculation error. In 1936, the manager on Nieuwendijk wanted to order 1,000 sausages for his restaurant. Because of an extra zero on the order, he suddenly had 10,000 delivered. He was literally at his wits’ end.
Throwing them away wasn’t an option, so he came up with a rescue plan on the spot. He quickly had the sausages heated up, cut them in half, and sold them piping hot to passersby. The delicious aroma did the rest. Amsterdammers were soon lining up, and a legendary snack craze was born.
An 85-year-old secret
Behind that crispy HEMA sausage lies an artisanal process that has remained virtually unchanged for over 85 years. The exact spice recipe remains a closely guarded secret. Butchers mix high-quality meat with water, salt, and spices to create the perfect sausage mixture. They then stuff the casings and hang the sausages upside down in the smokehouse.
While hanging, a dark spot sometimes forms on the underside. Butchers affectionately call this dried-up spot the “Gelderse druppel.” The sausages are then smoked for no less than seven hours over real beech and oak wood. This lengthy process gives the snack its characteristic golden-brown color, rich flavor, and a deliciously crispy exterior. Only after they’ve been labeled and chilled are they shipped to the stores.
