Page 276 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

274  tr a vellers ’ needs

The Flavours of Belgium

Most Belgians are passionate about food and standards
are very high. the many first-class bakers, greengrocers,
fishmongers, butchers and pâtissiers, including Belgium’s
noted chocolatiers, are held in high public esteem, alongside
the top chefs and restaurateurs. restaurant cooking in Wallonia
and Flanders is, respectively, French and dutch in character.
Belgian diners appre ciate hearty traditional fare, which depends
on good ingre dients cooked well. Moroccan, Italian, spanish,
Chinese and Indian restaurants add variety to the mix. Belgian chocolates
Pasture and Woodland
swathed in a well-judged
sauce. Huge platters of fruits Northern Belgium and the hills
de mer, or mixed seafood, of the south are home to herds
are also widely available in of cattle. The Herve Region
restaurants all over Belgium. produces most of Belgium’s
A uniquely Belgian fish dish mostly French-style soft, or
that is well worth seeking out semi-soft, cows-milk cheeses.
is anguilles au vert (paling in’t Quality beef is the stock-in-
groen in Dutch), which consists trade of any Belgian butcher,
of large chunks of eel cooked and steak-frites (steak and chips)
with a mass of finely chopped, is a classic dish on bistro menus.
fresh green herbs. Belgians are so confi dent
Oysters Lobster
Bunches of white asparagus, a seasonal Cockles Langoustine
early-summer treat Whelks
The North Sea
No place in Belgium is more
than a three-hour drive from
the coast, and consequently,
fresh seafood plays a central role
in Belgian cui sine. On the coast,
as well as in the fish restaurants
of the major cities, a wide variety
of the best fish – sole, cod,
turbot, skate, hake and monk fish
– is always on the menu, either
simply grilled, fried in butter or A selection of fine quality North Sea seafood
Local Dishes and Specialities
Although Belgian chefs produce some of the world’s
most complex and sophisticated cook ing, many
of Belgium’s greatest classic dishes are relatively
simple, striking a healthy balance between
nourishment and pleasure. Fine examples
include steaming platefuls of moules-
frites and warming stews such as
carbonnade flamande and waterzooi,
Fruit used in sirop which is made with either fish or chicken.
de Liège These dishes might be labelled comfort food;
however, the quality of the ingred ients and the
skill put into cooking such dishes in Belgium invariably turns
such homely fare into a feast. An unusual conserve to look Moules-frites are mussels
out for at the breakfast, or cheese, table is sirop de Liège, steamed with onion and white
a soft spreading fruit paste made of concentrated pears, wine, and served with chips (fries)
apples, plums and apricots. and mayonnaise.

274-275_EW_Belgium.indd 274 16/10/14 3:31 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Feature template “UK” LAYER
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Date 7th January 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm