Cuisine of Belgium

Belgian cuisine is widely varied with significant regional variations, while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is sometimes said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of German cuisine but with the quality of French food.''Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium'', Michael Jackson, Outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries and beer.

Though Belgium has many distinctive national dishes, many internationally popular foods like hamburgers and ''spaghetti bolognese'' are also popular in Belgium, and most of what Belgians eat is also eaten in neighbouring countries. “Belgian cuisine” therefore usually refers to dishes of Belgian origin, or those considered typically Belgian.

Belgian cuisine traditionally prizes regional and seasonal ingredients. Ingredients typical in Belgian dishes include potatoes, leeks, grey shrimp, white asparagus, Belgian endives and local beer, in addition to common European staples including meat, cheese and butter. Belgians typically eat four meals a day, with a light breakfast, medium lunch, a snack, and a large dinner.

Belgium has a plethora of dishes and products that are local to a specific area. Examples include '' waterzooi'' from Ghent, ''couque'' biscuit from the town of Dinant, and '' tarte au riz'' from Verviers. While their local origins are acknowledged, most such dishes are enjoyed throughout Belgium.

History

Belgian cuisine was influenced by that of the Roman Empire, and later that of France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Little is known about early Belgian cuisine. It can only be assumed that it was similar to that of other early European tribes. The ancient Belgians probably foraged, kept animals like sheep and cattle, grew root vegetables, hunted for animals such as the wild boar, fished and foraged for berries and herbs. Beer was brewed as well, although not with hops (that was a later discovery). It was probably brewed with barley instead.

Later, under the Roman Empire, many more foods were presumably introduced to Belgium, such as cabbage and other brassicas, as well as many fruits such as apples, pears and grapes. Belgium was known to be a large supplier of ham and pork for many cities in the Roman Empire.

During the Middle Ages, pottage was consumed by peasants.

Belgian cuisine

Appetizers

* '' Tartines / Boterhammen'': slices of rustic bread and an uncovered spread, often ''pâté'' or soft cheese, served on a cutting board. Typical spreads include ''Americain'', ''pâté'', ''saucisson''.
*' / ''Ardeense ham'': particularly smoked ham and pâté, often made of game such as wild boar. The forested Ardennes region in the south of Belgium is renowned for this type of food.
*' / ''Luikse salade'': a potato salad with green beans, bacon, onions and vinegar. It is usually associated with Liège.
*'' Croquettes aux crevettes r' / ''Garnaalkroketten'': a traditional Belgian dish, these croquettes have a thick and creamy bechamel filling mixed with grey shrimps. Often served with a slice of lemon and fried parsley.
*' / ''Tomaat-garnaal'': a Belgian culinary specialty, composed of a hollow, unhunted tomato stuffed with peeled grey shrimps and mixed with mayonnaise.

Savory dishes

*''Moules-frites'' / ''Mosselen met friet'': mussels cooked or steamed with onions and celery served with Belgian fries. The recipe has often been referred to as the country's national dish but is also popular in the neighboring Nord region of France.
*''Carbonade flamande, but made with Belgian beer instead of red wine. Served with bread or fries and mustard. Usually accompanied by a beer. This is also considered one of the national dishes, along with ''moules-frites''.
*''Steak-frites'' / ''Biefstuk met friet'': a very common and popular dish served in brasseries throughout Europe consisting of steak paired with fries.
*'' Waterzooi'': a rich stew and soup of chicken or fish, vegetables, cream, and eggs, usually associated with Ghent.
*''Chicons au gratin'' / ''Gegratineerd witloof'': Belgian endives au gratin in béchamel sauce with cheese. Often the endives are wrapped with ham.
*''Kip met frieten en appelmoes'' / ''Poulet avec des frites et compote'': dish consisting of chicken, fries, and compote, which is very common in and around Brussels.
*''Konijn in geuze'' / ''Lapin à la gueuze'': rabbit in ''gueuze'', which is a spontaneously fermented Belgian beer from the area in and around Brussels.
*'' 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 ''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''.
*'' Paling in 't groen'' / ''Anguilles au vert'': eel in a green sauce of mixed herbs (including chervil and parsley). Served with bread or fries. Usually accompanied by a beer or (sometimes) an Alsace wine.
*' / ''Perzik met tonijn'': halved canned or fresh peaches stuffed with a mix of tuna and mayonnaise, i.e. tuna salad.
* ''Boudin'' / ''Pens'': a type of sausage in which the meat, or blood, is mixed with fine breadcrumbs that is often eaten with potatoes and apple sauce, sometimes eaten raw or barbecued.
*'' Stoemp'': a potato that is mashed with vegetables (usually carrots or cabbages), often served with sausages.
*''Vol-au-vent'': a small hollow case of puff pastry filled with chicken, mushrooms, small meatballs cooked in a white sauce, and typically served with fries.
*'' Boulets à la Liégeoise'' / ''Luikse balletjes'': two big meatballs into a sweet and sour sauce called ''sauce lapin'', served with fries.
*''Lokerse paardenworst'': minced horse sausages with peeled tomatoes, onion, celery, herbs, originally from Lokeren

Sweet dishes and desserts

* '' Gaufres'' / ''Wafels'': Belgian waffles, sometimes eaten as a street snack and sold by ice-cream vans. Among the better-known styles are the ''Gaufre de Liège'' or Liège waffle, Brussels waffle, and the ''stroopwafel''.
*''Speculoos'': a shortcrust cinnamon biscuit, traditionally baked for consumption on or just before Saint Nicholas Day (Dutch: ''Sinterklaas'', French: ''la Saint-Nicolas'') on 6 December.
*'' Croustillons'' / ''Smoutebollen'': deep-fried balls of dough, eaten at fairgrounds or on special occasions like the October fair.
*''Rijstevlaai'' / ''Tarte au riz '': a pie with a filling based on rice pudding, native to Verviers.
*''Sirop de Liège'' / ''Luikse siroop'': a jam or jelly-like spread made of evaporated fruit juices.
*''Cuberdon'': a cone-shaped purple candy made of gum arabic, originally from Ghent.
*'' Lacquements'': thin wafer, made from wheat, cut in two horizontally, filled and coated with sugar candy syrup flavoured with orange blossom. Generally eaten during the October fair in Liège and the Sinksenfoor in Antwerp.
*''Aalsterse vlaai'': a regional pie from Aalst, with well-known variations in the area around Aalst, such as Wetteren (''Wetterse vlaai'') and Kalken (''Kalkense vlaai''). A key ingredient are ''mastellen'', a type of sandwich local to Aalst.

Belgian fries

Fries, deep-fried chipped potatoes, are very popular in Belgium, where they are thought to have originated. The earliest evidence of the dish comes from a book entitled ''Curiosités de la table dans les Pays-Bas-Belgiques'' written in 1781, which described how inhabitants of Namur, Dinant and Andenne around the river Meuse had eaten fried potatoes since around 1680. Though they are usually known as "French fries" in the United States, it is argued that American soldiers during the First World War called them "French fries" because the Belgian soldiers who introduced them to the dish spoke French.

In Belgium, fries are sold at fast-food stands or in dedicated fast-food restaurants called '' friteries'', ''frietkot'', or ''frituur'' (loosely: “fry shack”). They are often served with a variety of sauces and eaten either on their own or in the company of other snacks. Traditionally, they are served in a ''cornet de frites'' (French) or ' (Flemish), a cone-shaped white piece of thick paper then wrapped in a piece of thin (and coloured) paper, with the sauce on the top. Larger portions are often served in cardboard trays for practicality's sake. Other street foods like ''frikandel'', '' gehaktbal'' or ''kroket'' are sold alongside. In some cases, the fries are served in the form of a baguette sandwich along with their sauce and meat; this is known as a '' mitraillette''. In areas with immigration, the same combination is also available in a wrap called a ''dürüm'' instead of on a baguette.

The vast majority of Belgian households have a deep fryer, allowing them to make their own fries and other deep-fried foods at home. Supermarkets sell a range of liquid and solid animal- and plant-based fats for use in home deep fryers; beef fat is particularly prized.

In June 2017 the European Commission issued a recommendation to limit the chemical acrylamide—a natural result of frying some foods at high temperatures—from reaching consumers, due to its alleged carcinogenic properties. The document proposed a change in the preparation of Belgian fries to prevent the formation of acrylamide, by blanching them before frying, as opposed to the traditional method of double frying. This led to a wave of protests from several Belgian politicians, who viewed it as an assault on the country's culture and gastronomical tradition.

Sauces

Traditionally, fries are usually served with mayonnaise in Belgium. Friteries and other fast-food establishments tend to offer a number of different sauces for the fries and meats, including '' aïoli'' and ''sauce américaine'' but also much more elaborate varieties, including béarnaise sauce. There are frequently over a dozen options, and most of them are mayonnaise-based, so the varieties include:

* '' Aïoli'' / ''Looksaus''—(garlic mayonnaise).
* '' Sauce andalouse''—mayonnaise with tomato paste and peppers.
* '' Sauce americaine''—mayonnaise with tomato, chervil, onions, capers, crustacean stock, and celery.
* Bicky sauce—a commercial brand made from mayonnaise, white cabbage, tarragon, dough, cucumber, onion, mustard, and dextrose.
* Brazilian sauce—mayonnaise with pureed pineapple, tomato, and spices.
* Cocktail sauce—one of several types of cold or room temperature sauces often served as part of the dish(es) referred to as a seafood cocktail or as a condiment with other seafood.
* Curry ketchup—a spiced variant on ketchup and a common sauce in Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
* Curry mayonnaise—mayonnaise with either turmeric, cumin, ginger, and fresh or dried hot chili peppers.
* Joppiesaus—a commercial brand made from mayonnaise, spices, onion, and curry powder.
* Ketchup—a sweet and tangy sauce typically made from tomatoes, sweetener, and vinegar with assorted seasonings and spices.
* Mammoet sauce—mayonnaise with tomato, onion, glucose, garlic, and soy sauce.
* Mayonnaise—a thick cold sauce or dressing usually used in sandwiches and composed salads.
* Pepper sauce—mayonnaise or hot sauce with black pepper.
* Relish—a cooked and pickled product made of chopped vegetables, fruits, or herbs, and is a food item typically used as a condiment, in particular, to enhance a staple.
* ''Sauce lapin''— A sauce made from ''sirop de Liège'', cooked with raisins, onions, prunes, and cloves, typically served with '' boulets à la Liégeoise''.
* ''Sauce Riche''—a pink, tartar-based sauce.
* Samurai sauce—mayonnaise with Tunisian chili, spices, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
* Tartar sauce - a mayonnaise or ''aïoli''-based sauce of French origin, and is typical of a rough consistency due to the addition of diced gherkins or other varieties of pickles.
* Zigeuner sauce—a "gypsy" sauce of tomatoes, paprika, and chopped bell peppers, borrowed from Germany.

Occasionally, warm sauces are offered by ''friteries'', including Hollandaise sauce, Provençale sauce, béarnaise sauce, or even a ''carbonade flamande