BelgiumWhat to eat in Belgium: top 10 dishes
Traveling to Belgium? These are the ten dishes it is best known for, from everyday staples to festive classics, with a short background and a tip on where and when to eat each one. Ranked by how widely they are known around the world.
01Fries
French fries, or simply fries, also known as French fried potatoes, chips, and finger chips, are batonnet or julienne-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin.
Travel tip Buy them in a paper cone from a friterie, often with a choice of mayonnaise or other sauces. Fries are fried twice for a crisp outside and soft inside.
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02Waterzooi
Waterzooi is a soup from Belgium and originating in Flanders. The second part of the name derives from the Middle Dutch terms sode, zo(o)de and soot, words referring to the act of boiling or the ingredients being boiled.
Travel tip A creamy stew of chicken or fish and vegetables, a specialty of Ghent and Flanders. Look for it in traditional restaurants, especially in cooler months.
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03Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally.
Travel tip This is mainly a German dish rather than a Belgian one, served with red cabbage and dumplings or potatoes. Look for it in German restaurants.
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04Ruby chocolate
Ruby chocolate is a variety of chocolate that is pink or purple in color. Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company, introduced it as a distinct product on 5 September 2017 after beginning development of the product in 2004.
Travel tip A newer type of chocolate with a pink color and fruity taste. Chocolate shops sell it in bars and pralines, and it makes a colorful gift.
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05Mitraillette
A mitraillette is a type of sandwich in Belgium commonly served at friteries and cafés. It is popular among students.
Travel tip A late-night and lunch-on-the-go favorite from friteries: a baguette filled with meat, fries and sauce. It is very filling, so one is plenty.
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06Carbonade flamande
Flemish stew, known in Dutch as stoofvlees or stoverij and in French as carbon(n)ade flamande, is a beef (or pork) stew popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, and French Flanders.
Travel tip A slow-cooked beef and onion stew made with beer, usually served with fries or bread. Find it in brasseries and traditional taverns, especially in colder months.
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07Moules-frites
Moules-frites or moules et frites is a main dish of mussels and French fries originating in Northern France and Belgium. The name is French, moules meaning mussels and frites fries, with the Dutch name for the dish meaning the same.
Travel tip Served in a big pot with fries on the side, traditionally eaten when mussels are in season, from roughly September to April. Use an empty shell as pincers to pick out the rest.
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08Belgian praline
A praline ( PRAH-leen), also known as Belgian chocolate, Belgian chocolate fondant or chocolate bonbon, is a hollow casing of chocolate with a soft filling, often consisting of hazelnuts or almonds.
Travel tip Sold by weight or in boxes at chocolate shops, with a smooth filling inside a chocolate shell. Buy a small mixed selection to try different flavors.
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09Vlaai
Limburgse vlaai (Limburgish: vlaai, vlaoj, vla or flaai, pl. vlaaien) is a dessert consisting of a yeasted dough and a filling, traditionally associated with the provinces of Limburg found both in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as parts of Germany…
Travel tip A fruit or custard pie that is especially associated with the Limburg region and the Netherlands. Buy a slice at a bakery to have with coffee.
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10Ontbijtkoek
An ontbijtkoek, peperkoek or kruidkoek is a Dutch and Flemish spiced cake. Rye and dark brown basterdsuiker are its most important ingredient, coloring the cake light brown. It is often spiced with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, succade and nutmeg.
Travel tip A spiced, dense cake that is eaten sliced for breakfast or a snack, often with butter. It keeps well, so it is a good thing to pack for the road.
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Description: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons