Belgium is known far and wide for certain food items – namely beer, chocolate and fries – but there is so much more to its cuisine. Your bucket list for Belgium travel should include everything from mussels in white wine to North Sea prawns, meatballs to French fries, and of course waffles and spicy ‘speculoos’ biscuits. Wash it all down with some Trappist monk beer and your Belgium tourism experience will be complete.
National Dish:
Moules et frites – Mussels and Frites (in bucket with wine sauce)
Mains:
Balletjes/Boulettes meatballs with fries
Frikadellen met krieken meatballs with cherries
Stoemp mashed potatoes and carrots with bacon and sausages
Stoofvlees beef stew
Konijn met pruimen rabbit cooked in beer and dried plums
Witloof met kaassaus/Chicons au gratin chicory with ham and bechamel sauce
Paling in’t Groen – Eel in green sauce
North Sea prawns
Sides:
Frites – French Fries – (actually from Belgium!)
(served with mayonnaise)
Brussels Sprouts
Waffles:
Gaufres de Bruxelles (Brussels waffle) dusted with sugar
Gaufres de Liège (Liège waffle) caramelized with sugar
(can be served with strawberries and whipped cream)
Dessert:
Cuberdons
Speculoos Spicy cookies
Pom Koek honey and coffee cake
Chocolates:
Godiva, Leonidas, Côte d’Or, Guylian, Galler, Marcolini and Neuhaus
Beer:
Stella Artois, Duvel, Leffe, Jupiler, Hoegaarden
Trappist Monk: Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, Westmalle
Various Names: Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit), Mort Subite (Sudden Death), De Kopstoot (Head Butt), Judas, Delirium Tremens, Stille Nacht (Silent night).
Flavoured: Kriek (sweet and sour cherry beer), Framboise (strawberry beer)
Champagne Beers: Grottenbier, DeuS and Malheur Bière Brut
Spirits:
Jenever (Dutch gin): Oude (old, sweet) and Jonge (young, dry)
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC