Introduction: A soft, golden raisin brioche, cramique is a much-loved Belgian breakfast and teatime bread, often shaped into a loaf with pearl sugar scattered on top for extra sweetness and crunch. Cultural Background: A soft, golden raisin brioche, cramique is a much-loved Belgian breakfast and teatime bread, often shaped into a loaf with pearl sugar […]
Introduction: Shaped to resemble a swaddled infant, cougnou is a sweet, brioche-like bread traditionally baked for Christmas and Saint Nicholas's Day across Wallonia and Brussels. Cultural Background: Shaped to resemble a swaddled infant, cougnou is a sweet, brioche-like bread traditionally baked for Christmas and Saint Nicholas's Day across Wallonia and Brussels. Children traditionally receive their […]
Introduction: A café-brasserie lunch staple across Belgium, this grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich is bound with a light béchamel and finished under the grill until bubbling. Cultural Background: A café-brasserie lunch staple across Belgium, this grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich is bound with a light béchamel and finished under the grill until bubbling. It appears on almost every brasserie […]
Introduction: Belgian endive wrapped in ham and baked under a blanket of béchamel and cheese, chicons au gratin is a much-loved home-style side (or light main) that balances the endive's gentle bitterness against rich, savoury dairy. Cultural Background: Belgian endive wrapped in ham and baked under a blanket of béchamel and cheese, chicons au gratin […]
Introduction: A soft, lightly sweet yeasted bun enriched with plenty of butter, couques au beurre are a staple of Belgian breakfast tables and bakery counters. Cultural Background: A soft, lightly sweet yeasted bun enriched with plenty of butter, couques au beurre are a staple of Belgian breakfast tables and bakery counters. Verviers and the wider […]
Introduction: The paper cone of hot, double-fried fries with a dollop of sauce is a Belgian institution, sold from dedicated 'frituur' or 'friterie' stands found in every town square. Cultural Background: The paper cone of hot, double-fried fries with a dollop of sauce is a Belgian institution, sold from dedicated 'frituur' or 'friterie' stands found […]
Introduction: Belgium's answer to French beef bourguignon, carbonnade flamande swaps wine for dark Belgian beer, slow-braising chunks of beef with onions until deeply tender. Cultural Background: Belgium's answer to French beef bourguignon, carbonnade flamande swaps wine for dark Belgian beer, slow-braising chunks of beef with onions until deeply tender. A slice of bread spread with […]
Introduction: A close cousin of cramique, craquelin is a rich, buttery brioche studded throughout with crunchy pearl sugar rather than raisins, giving little bursts of caramelised sweetness in every bite. Cultural Background: A close cousin of cramique, craquelin is a rich, buttery brioche studded throughout with crunchy pearl sugar rather than raisins, giving little bursts […]
Introduction: Perhaps Belgium's single most iconic dish, moules-frites pairs a steaming pot of mussels — classically cooked with white wine, celery and onion — with a mountain of crisp double-fried Belgian fries. Cultural Background: Perhaps Belgium's single most iconic dish, moules-frites pairs a steaming pot of mussels — classically cooked with white wine, celery and […]
Introduction: Despite its name, this crisp, cinnamon-sugar biscuit-bread has no Greek origin — it takes its name from 'grecht', an old Walloon word for a drainage ditch near the Verviers bakeries where it was first made. Cultural Background: Despite its name, this crisp, cinnamon-sugar biscuit-bread has no Greek origin — it takes its name from […]