Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

WHERE TO EAT 279

BELGIAN CHEESE

Bouquet des Moines Mild

and gooey, with a white rind,

this cheese is from Herve.

Chimay Made by the Trappist

Abbey here, this is a semi-soft

cheese with an orange rind.

Herve and Limburger These

are both soft, pungent

cheeses with washed rinds.

Maredsous This is a family

of St-Paulin-style, semi-soft

abbey cheeses.

Passendale This light, semi-

soft cheese with tiny holes is

from Western Flanders.

Remoudou A strong-smelling

Herve cheese, this has a red-

brown washed rind.

Flamiche aux poireaux is

leeks fried in butter, whisked

with cream and eggs and

baked in a pastry shell.

Waterzooi is a classic stew

from Ghent with either fish

or chicken and vegetables,

poached in a creamy broth.

Carbonnades flamandes
combines beef cooked in
Belgian beer with a touch of
sugar in a hearty casserole.

Fish restaurant in the elegant Galéries St-Hubert in Brussels

Belgians are so confident
about their beef that they
are happy to eat it raw, either
in steak américaine (steak
tartare) or on toast as the
snack, toast cannibale.
Pork products include the
noted Ardennes ham, patés
and sausages. In autumn and
winter, game such as wild
boar, pheasant and venison
is served, often in a rich
fruity sauce. Quail, guinea
fowl, pigeon and rabbit are
also popular.

commercial market-gardens.

In the 1840s, Belgian farmers

created chicon (witloof in

Dutch) by forcing the roots

of the chicorée lettuce. It is

now one of Belgium’s most

widely used vegetables. The

most popular vegetable must

be the potato, in the form

of chips (French fries). These

frites (friet in Dutch), served

with a dollop of mayonnaise,

are a favourite street food.

Freshly made waffles at a street

stall, a familiar sight in Belgium

THE VEGETABLE PATCH

Not long ago, most Belgian
householders filled their
gardens with tightly-packed
rows of top-class vegetables
such as beans, leeks, carrots,
lettuces, asparagus, potatoes
and onions. This tradition
may be waning, but the same
quest for quality lives on in

THE PATISSIER

No Belgian community is

without a pâtisserie selling

superlative tarts, cakes and

biscuits, and many pâtissiers

double-up as chocolatiers.

Gaufres (waffles) are also a

a great sweet treat, sold at

specialist shops and street

stalls or made at home on

festive occasions. Belgian

bakers also make a range of

dry, buttery biscuits, such as

the spicy speculoos, which

are associated with Christmas.