Bûter, brea en griene tsiis

Bûter, Brea en Griene Tsiis, wa’t dat net sizze kin is gjin oprjochte Fries.

According to Frisian legend, this proverb was used by folk hero Grutte Pier to distinguish Frisians from their enemies. As the saying goes: once a Frisian, always a Frisian! This is true even for those no longer living in Friesland. This website is intended for Frisians abroad who want to savour the delicious sugar bread, listen to the Frisian anthem, or enjoy the beautiful Frisian landscapes while far away from the Heitelân.

"Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis; wa't dat net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries", which in English reads: "Butter, bread and green cheese, whoever can't say that is no real Frise". The saying plays on the sound differences between the Dutch and Frisian words for "butter, bread and green cheese", which in Frisian are pronounced almost identically to their English counterparts (showing the original closeness between the two languages), while in Dutch ("Boter, brood en groene kaas"), these words sound quite different.