Belgium It is a country with beautiful and ancient cities, made up of cathedrals, squares and museums that attract the attention of its tourists. In addition, it has a gastronomy of delicious dishes that make the country an excellent destination for culinary enjoyment.
Your regional cuisine is quite famous for fast foodhowever it is an exquisite mixture of the styles of French, German and Dutch gastronomy. The food in belgium it has a unique taste where anyone, especially foodies, plans a trip just to delight their taste buds.
Below is a list of the most traditional Belgian dishes that you cannot stop trying if you visit this unique destination.
10 typical Belgian dishes
Located in Western Europe, Belgium It is a country with medieval cities, Renaissance architecture and is the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. It also has a cultural variety which is displayed in your language, where French is spoken in some regions and Dutch in others.
Your gastronomy is one of the best in Europe and has a great influence from French cuisine and neighboring countries, adapted to the country’s native products. Its dishes are served in large portions as in Germany, and have an excellent quality as in the gastronomy of France.
The belgian cuisine It has regional characteristics that give it a great variety of products recognized worldwide. Among its traditional products, the cheese, chocolate, beer, French fries, waffles, meats and Brussels sprouts.
Belgium produces more than 80 varieties of cheeses, which are mostly enjoyed after the main course throughout the country. In its wide range of cheeses, among the best stands out the Vieux Hollande or the Brique de Flandersjust like him wijnendale, maredsous, and the beauvoorde.
Another scent that defines Belgians is chocolate, highly appreciated by travelers and neighboring countries. In Belgium there are more than 100 types of chocolateswhere the specialty is pralinessome chocolates filled with almonds or hazelnuts candied in caramel.
Now that you know more about the gastronomy of this beautiful country, you can understand why it has as many Michelin stars per inhabitant as France. Join us to discover the 10 typical Belgian dishes unmissable to enjoy its traditional flavor.
moules frites
The moules frites It is one of the most popular recipes of Belgium. A very simple dish, but with an incomparable flavor, made up of steamed mussels and accompanied with traditional Belgian fries.
For your preparation, the mussels They are served in the same container where they were cooked, which are cooked with celery, onion, carrot and pepper. The secret of its exquisiteness is found in its dressing, since it is usually made with white wine, Provençal or garlic margarine.
For their part, the French fries, frietkot or friterie They are also very popular, a symbol of national heritage and of great importance to Belgians. The originality of its recipe stands out in that the potatoes are fried in beef fat, being one of the most requested dishes in restaurants and street stalls.
A delicious dish that you cannot stop trying if you are a seafood lover, and accompany it with a traditional cold Belgian beer.
Pork ribs
One of the favorite dishes by locals and tourists in BelgiumAre the pork ribs. This typical dish It stands out for its smell and crunchy pork flavor, which is accompanied with a rich salad or potatoes.
The preparation of your recipe is based on frying the ribs in hot oil until perfectly browned on each side. Then carrots and Brussels sprouts are added, leaving to simmer for about 45 minutes. Once ready, they are served immediately to preserve freshness, and are usually garnished with salad and fried or baked potatoes.
This delicious dish is widely consumed worldwide, however in Belgium They are given a unique flavor characterized by traditional cuisine.
Gentse waterzooi
considered the most typical Belgian dishthe waterzooi comes from the port city of Ghent in the northeast of the country. This delicious stew is prepared throughout the national territory, and is mostly served hot, accompanied with toasted French bread to wash off the soup.
His recipe consists of a very creamy chicken or fish soup, cooked with carrots, leeks, potatoes, eggs, cream and aromatic herbs. Traditionally it is accompanied with bread, where many dip it into the broth, and others cut it into pieces and add it directly to the soup.
Any way you choose to eat the people waterzooiit will be a delight to enjoy the unique flavors of Belgium.
Carbonnades flamandes
The carbonnades flamandes it’s a belgian beef stew, typical of the kitchen of the country. The genius of his recipe is based on the fact that both in the stew and in the accompaniment, you can enjoy the flavor of the traditional belgian beer.
To prepare this dish, the veal is grilled and seasoned with aromatic herbs such as bay leaf and thyme, as well as onion, sugar and vinegar. Its delicious thick sauce stands out for the taste of Belgian beer, and is served with French fries or bread, and of course more traditional beer.
With the carbonnade flamande, you will enjoy a completely innovative and very traditional flavor that you can only eat in this country.
garnaalkroket
The garnaalkroket They are a delicacy that you can enjoy throughout the country. Are gray prawn croquettes are a very traditional Belgian dishwith a sweet and delicate flavor that you will not be able to resist.
For its preparation, initially the prawns are cooked in salted water and flour is added until a paste is left. Then it is seasoned with pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice, to later shape the croquettes. They are passed through egg white, and coated with breadcrumbs to fry them in oil.
A delicious appetizer that you can accompany with a refreshing local beer.
Filet American
Belgium offers a wide gastronomy to please all palates. The Filet American is a traditional dish that is very popular among tourists, and is made up of raw minced meat, seasoned with various spices and ingredients.
The recipe for this steak is based on very finely ground raw beef, seasoned with onion and egg yolk. Additionally, to enhance the flavor of the meat, tabasco sauce, ketchup, mustard, parsley, capers, salt, pepper and oil are added.
This recipe stands out in that served cold, and in restaurants you can ask to have it prepared at your table and choose the ingredients to your liking. A delicious delicacy that you cannot stop eating accompanied with French bread, as if it were a sandwich, or with toast or French fries.
Whatever your choice, you will love it.
sole meunière
After a hectic day, the sole meunière It is the perfect meal for lunch or dinner. Its exquisite recipe is a fusion of French and local foodso it is very popular in Belgium and it’s possible achieve in the entire extension of its territory.
This fish dish is prepared by dipping the sole in seasoned flour, and then dipping it in a little butter. Next, lemon juice and a little parsley are added to make a delicious brown margarine sauce. Mostly this recipe is accompanied with fried, boiled or mashed potatoes.
Impossible not to try sole meunière and pamper your palate with the best of French and Belgian cuisine in a single bite.
stoemp
Originally from northern belgiumspecifically in Flanders, the stoemp is a typical mashed potato from the region. Its recipe dates back to the 19th century and has been preserved to this day, forming an important part of the country’s culture and gastronomy.
This dish stands out for the vegetables that accompany the puree, which are celery, carrots, cabbage, leeks and spinach. Additionally, it is flavored with thyme or bay leaf, and on some occasions it is accompanied with cream or milk. Traditionally it is served with black pudding, bacon, eggs and pork, beef and even horse meat.
Although the mashed potatoes It has many variations worldwide, the Belgians have a wonderful way of cooking it that no one can compete with.
waffles
The waffles or wafflesare one of the most consumed dishes worldwide and originated in Belgium. This delicious recipe characterized by its size, rectangular shape and deep notches. In addition to being a kind of light and sweet cake, which can be eaten for lunch, as a snack or as a snack.
For the preparation of the belgian waffle flour, yeast, brown sugar, milk, water, butter, salt and egg white beaten until stiff are used. After mixing the ingredients and cooking the wafflesthey are sprinkled with powdered sugar, or if you prefer creams, chocolate, syrups and fruits.
A wonderful meal that will sweeten your way when you travel around Belgium.
Rijsttaart or Tarte au Riz
Rice is very popular in the main dishes of BelgiumHowever, you can also find it in their desserts. The rijsttaart they are delicious typical regional rice cakewhich are widely consumed in meuse and rhineand can be obtained at any bakery in the country.
The preparation of this cake is done separately, the bottom and the filling, to then join at the end. The bottom is composed of a puff pastry, and the filling is made with rice, sugar, flour, and sugared vanilla, milk and eggs are also added. When serving the cake, you can place cream or chocolate chips on top.
Your soft texture and irresistible flavor, They make everything a delicacy that is an important part of the belgian gastronomy for decades.
As you could see, the belgium cuisine It is an exquisite mix of different international styles that we know you will enjoy trying on your next visit.
A varied selection of savory and sweet disheswhich will make your visitors experience an authentic taste of the Belgium culture.
Frequent questions
Now we are going to clarify the most frequent doubts that users ask when searching the Internet for the typical Belgian dishes.
What is the traditional food in Belgium?
The typical belgian cuisine has a great influence from the French gastronomy and the Netherlandswhere the main ingredient of their recipes are potatoes. The Belgians claim to be the creators of the chipsbeing very common as a garnish in a large part of its recipes.
The French fries, frietkot or friterieis one of the most traditional Belgian foods that you can get in restaurants and street stalls throughout the country. His recipe stands out in that the fried potato strips are prepared with beef fat. In addition, they are fried in two stages, one to cook inside and the other to acquire their wonderful golden color.
This dish can be eaten alone or combined with other recipes such as moules frites, which includes steamed mussels with French fries. and the known mitrailletteconsisting of meat, chips, salad and sauce in half a baguette.
What are the typical dishes in Belgium?
In Belgiumtraditional gastronomy is a mixture of the French, Dutch and even German cuisine, marked by the techniques used in most of its dishes. Their recipes are made with typical regional products of the season, forming part of their main dishes and desserts.
Between the typical Belgian dishes highlights the waffles, fritures, gray prawn croquettes, stoemp, waterzooi, speculoos, carbonnades flamandes, filet americain and many other delicacies.