Typical Dishes
Below is a list of dishes that are seen as particularly Belgian. It should be noted that most of what Belgians eat is also eaten in neighbouring countries, and is not singled out for mention here.
- Boterhammen / Tartines: Slices of rustic bread and an uncovered spread, often pâté or soft cheese, served on a cutting board and eaten with knife and fork. A typical variety is a slice of bread with quark and sliced radishes, typically accompanied by a glass of gueuze.
- Charcuterie, or cold meat products, particularly smoked ham (Jambon d'Ardenne) and paté, which may be made of game such as wild boar. The Ardennes region is renowned for this type of food.
- Chocolate, particularly pralines (filled chocolates): see also among others Leonidas, Neuhaus, Godiva.
- Filet américain: Very finely minced ground beef eaten raw and cold. It is spread on a sandwich or bread with and sometimes topped with a sauce, usually with sauce américaine, and served with fries. When served as a dinner, it is mixed with onions and capers like steak tartare, but it retains the name américain. A similar dish is sometimes (strangely) called "toast cannibale".
- Gegratineerd witloof / Chicons au gratin: a gratin of chicory in béchamel sauce with cheese.
- Kip met frieten en appelmoes / Poulet-frites-compote (chicken, French fries and apple sauce).
- Konijn in geuze / Lapin à la gueuze: rabbit in geuze, which is a spontaneously fermented, sour beer from the area around Brussels.
- Moules-frites / Mosselen-friet: mussels and French fries.
- Paling in 't groen / Anguilles au vert: Eel in a green sauce of mixed herbs.
- Pêches au thon / Perziken met tonijn: halved canned or fresh peaches stuffed with a mix of tuna and mayonnaise, i.e. tuna salad.
- Pensen / Boudins: a type of sausage in which the meat (or blood) content is mixed with fine breadcrumbs. Often eaten with potatoes and apple sauce, sometimes eaten raw or barbequeued.
- Salade Liégeoise / Luikse salade: a salad with green beans, pieces of bacon, onions and vinegar, associated with Liège.
- Speculoos: a shortcrust cookie containing cinnamon and other spices
- Stoemp: potato mashed with vegetables (usually carrots or cabbage), often served with sausages.
- Tomate-crevette / Tomaat-garnaal: a snack or starter of grey shrimp (Crangon crangon) in mayonnaise stuffed into a hollowed-out raw tomato.
- Vlaamse stoofkarbonaden / Carbonnades flamandes: a Flemish beef stew, similar to the French Beef Bourguignon, but made with beer instead of red wine.
- Waffles, sometimes eaten as a street snack. Among the better-known syles are the Liège waffle, the Brussels waffle and the stroopwafel
- Waterzooi: a rich stew/soup of chicken (or sometimes fish), vegetables, cream and eggs, associated with Ghent.
Read more about this topic: Belgian Cuisine
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