hapklare

Hapklare is a Dutch adjective meaning ready-to-eat, describing food that is prepared and can be eaten with little or no additional cooking. The term derives from hap, meaning bite, and klaar, meaning ready. It is used in the Netherlands and Flanders to label foods that offer convenience for immediate consumption, in contrast to fresh or home-cooked options.

In practice, hapklare products include kant-en-klaar meals, pre-cut vegetables, pre-cooked sauces, canned or bottled soups, ready-to-eat snacks, and assembled sandwiches. The label appears on grocery-store signage, packaging, and menus to indicate ease of use rather than length of preparation.

Some sources distinguish hapklare from kant-en-klaar by emphasizing the consumption aspect; kant-en-klaar stresses overall readiness to prepare or eat, while hapklare emphasizes that the product is ready to eat as-is. In use, both spellings and hyphenation may vary; "hapklaar" is also seen in some contexts, with "hapklare" as the attributive form before a noun, e.g., hapklare maaltijd.

See also: kant-en-klaarmaaltijd, convenience food, ready-to-eat.