The ''boulet à la liégeoise'' (or more regionally called ''boulet sauce lapin'', ''boulet (sauce) chasseur'', or ''Boulets'') is a Belgian dish made from balls of mixed minced

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

and

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

in a sweet-sour sauce. As its name indicates, the dish comes from the city of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

Description

As with most regional recipes, each cook will have a slightly different variation on how to make the dish. Traditionally, ''boulet à la liégeoise'' consists of one or two big

meatball A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, egg (food), eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are ...

s (the size of the ball allows one to differentiate a ''boulet'' from the smaller ''boulette''), made from

and

veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...

or pork and

minced meat,

bread crumbs Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thickeni ...

onions An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

and

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

. The balls are then cooked in a pan until golden brown before lowering the heat and letting the meat simmer in a

sweet and sour sauce Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Dickson Wright, Clarissa (2011) ''A Histor ...

made from onions,

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

, Liège syrup and Corinthian raisins. The sauce is called ''sauce lapin'' (literally "rabbit sauce"), not because of any rabbit in the sauce but after Madame Géraldine Lapin, born Corthouts, wife of Ernest Lapin (1868–1922), a tax collector in the suburbs of

. A true institution in

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is also French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brew ...

s and

friterie A friture, baraque à frites or friterie () in French-speaking Belgium and Northern France, or frituur or frietkot in Flanders and the Netherlands, also fritkot in French-speaking Belgium and friture or frietkraam in the Netherlands, is a tr ...

s throughout Liège, and known nationwide, this dish is traditionally served with

French fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...

(it is then called ''boulets-frites''),

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (; ), colloquially referred to as "mayo" , is a thick, cold, and creamy sauce or dressing commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, composed salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various other sauces, such as tartar ...

, and lightly seasoned

crudités Crudités (, ) are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce. Examples of crudités include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper st ...

apple sauce Apple sauce or applesauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and may be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and s ...

. Many establishments in

serve this dish as almost their only speciality. Most restaurants and friteries in Liège serve it. One company makes it industrially.

The Gay Boulet Brotherhood and the ''Diamond Boulet''

Since 23 March 1996 the Gay Boulet Brotherhood has awarded a ''Diamond Boulet'' to a

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

whose recipe is closest to the local tradition. This award was given, * in 1997, to the restaurant ''Le Bouche à Oreille'', in

Boncelles Boncelles ( wa, Les Bonceles) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Seraing, located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The Fort de Boncelles The Fort de Boncelles is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in ...

* in 1998, to ''Friterie des Moges'', in Rotheux * in 1999, to the brasserie ''Le Lulay Al Copète'', in

* in 2000, to the restaurant ''Le Bouche à Oreille'', in Boncelles * in 2001, no award * in 2002, to the restaurant ''La Liégeoise'' (chez René), in

Ans Ans or ANS or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Ans, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium * Ans, Denmark, a village in Denmark * Angus, Scotland, UK; a council area by its Chapman code * Ainsdale railway station, England, UK (by station code ...

* in 2003, to ''Café Lequet'' (Chez Stockis), in Liège * in 2004, to ''Café Lequet'' (Chez Stockis), in Liège * in 2005, to the restaurant ''Le Dernier Ragot'', rue des Clarisses à Liège * in 2006, to ''Dernier Ragot'', Clarisses street in Liège * in 2007, to the restaurant ''Le Vin sur Vin'', place du Marché in Liège * in 2008, to the brasserie ''Au Point de vue'', place Verte in Liège * in 2009, to the friterie ''Chez Adam'', place Reine Astrid in

Visé Visé (; nl, Wezet, ; wa, Vizé) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, located on the river Meuse in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Argenteau, Cheratte, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, ...

* in 2010, to the friterie ''Chez Adam'', place Reine Astrid in Visé, tied with ''L'Amirauté'', quai de l'Ourthe in Tilff * in 2011, to the restaurant ''Chez Philippe'', Haute-Sauvenière street in Liège * in 2012, to ''Friterie du Longdoz'', place Sylvain Dupuis 7 in Liège * in 2013, to the restaurant ''Chez Pol'', route du Condroz 123 in Nandrin * in 2014, to the brasserie ''Le Saint-Grégory'', Feronstrée 112 in Liège * in 2015, to the brasserie ''Au Point de vue'', place Verte 20 in Liège * in 2016, to the brasserie ''Rive Droite'', Esplanade 2 in

Chaudfontaine :''Chaudfontaine is also a brand of mineral water, owned by The Coca-Cola Company.'' Chaudfontaine (; wa, Tchôfontinne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Chaudfontaine had a total pop ...

* in 2017, to the restaurant ''Aux Chandelles'', route de Herve 187 in Grivegnée

References

{{reflist

External links

The recipe
(Confrérie Gastronomique du Gay Boulet de Boncelles) Belgian cuisine Meatballs

Description

The Gay Boulet Brotherhood and the ''Diamond Boulet''

See also

References

External links