Belgium signature dishes

42 regional dishes covered across Belgium, each with the canonical version and where to eat it, city by city.

Paling in 't Groen (Anguilles au Vert)Main course · BrugesEel simmered in a green sauce of finely chopped fresh herbs, a dish of the Flemish Scheldt valley, normally served hot with chips or bread and lemon.WaterzooiMain course · AntwerpFlemish creamy stew of chicken or fish poached in a vegetable-laden broth thickened with cream and egg yolks.Antwerpse HandjesMain course · AntwerpHand-shaped butter cookies topped with sliced almonds, in three sizes and an optional chocolate-shell variant.Belgian fritesMain course · BrugesPotatoes cut thick and fried twice, crisp outside and soft inside, sold in a paper cone with mayonnaise or other sauces from a friterie or frietkot.Belgian pralinesMain course · BrugesBelgian pralines are soft-centred chocolates in a chocolate casing, first introduced by Jean Neuhaus II in 1912 and sold by many Bruges chocolatiers.Belgian waffleBreakfast · BrugesTwo Belgian waffles: the light, crisp, rectangular Brussels waffle and the chewy Liège waffle, made from a brioche-based dough with pearl sugar.Brugse ZotMain course · BrugesCarbonnade flamandeMain course · BrusselsFlemish stew of beef or pork braised in beer with onions and mustard, the sauce sometimes thickened with bread.Belgian Praline ChocolateMain course · GhentCuberdon (Gentse Neuzen)Main course · GhentCuberdons (Neuzekes)Main course · AntwerpFilet AmericainMain course · 2 citiesFinely minced raw beef seasoned with ingredients such as mustard, capers, onion and egg yolk, closely related to steak tartare and served with fries.Gaufre de BruxellesMain course · BrusselsThe Brussels waffle: light, crisp and rectangular, with deep pockets, leavened with whisked egg whites or yeast.Liege Waffle (Gaufrette de Liege)Breakfast · GhentMitrailletteMain course · BrusselsHalf a baguette filled with fries, a fried burger or sausage, salad and a sauce of your choice, popular with students.Mosselen met Friet (Mussels with Frites)Main course · GhentMoules-fritesMain course · 2 citiesMussels cooked with aromatics such as celery, leek or white wine, served with frites.Paling in 't groenMain course · AntwerpFreshwater eel from the Scheldt poached in a sharp green herb sauce of sorrel, parsley, chervil and tarragon, served with new potatoes.SpeculoosMain course · 2 citiesCrunchy brown-sugar biscuit baked with real butter, cloves and cinnamon in wooden moulds.Belgian SpeculoosMain course · GhentStoempMain course · BrusselsMashed potatoes blended with vegetables such as carrots, leeks or onions, sometimes with cream or bacon, served with fried sausage, boudin or bacon.Vol-au-ventMain course · 2 citiesPuff-pastry case filled with creamy stew of chicken, mushroom and veal meatballs in a sherry-spiked velouté, served with frites.WaterzooiMain course · 2 citiesA creamy Flemish soup or stew of chicken or fish with leek, carrot and celery, thickened with cream and egg yolk.AAntwerps BollekeMain course · AntwerpDe Koninck Antwerp pale ale, poured in its short stem bolleke glass with a two-finger off-white head.CChicons au GratinMain course · BrusselsBelgian endives, often wrapped in ham, baked in bechamel and cheese until golden.VVlaamse Asperges (Flemish White Asparagus)Main course · GhentWhite asparagus from the Mechelen-Ghent growing belt, poached in salted water and served with browned butter, hard-boiled egg and parsley.BBelgian frites in beef fatMain course · AntwerpDouble-fried Belgian frites cooked in pure beef fat (ossewit), served in a paper cone with sauce.GGarnaalkrokettenMain course · 2 citiesCrisp-fried shrimp croquettes built around Belgian grey shrimp from the North Sea, with a thick béchamel binding.TTierenteyn Ghent MustardMain course · GhentGGruut Inferno (Herbal Beer)Main course · GhentGGhent JeneverMain course · GhentMMosselen-frietMain course · AntwerpZeeland mussels steamed open with white wine, celery, leek and onion in a cast-iron pot, served with double-fried frites and mayonnaise.PPraline BelgeMain course · BrusselsFilled chocolates: a shell around ganache, caramel or nut cream.CCroquettes aux crevettes grisesSnack · BrusselsCroquettes of thick bechamel mixed with grey shrimp, breaded and fried.SStoofvlees met frietenMain course · AntwerpFlemish beef stew braised in dark Belgian abbey ale and finished with mustard-spread bread that dissolves into the sauce.SStoverij met FritesMain course · GhentTTomaat-Garnaal (Tomate aux Crevettes Grises)Main course · AntwerpBBelgian Trappist Beer FlightMain course · GhentA side-by-side tasting of Belgium's five Trappist beers: Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel, Chimay Bleue, Rochefort 10, Orval, and Westvleteren 12.VVlaamse stoofvleesMain course · BrugesWWaterzooi van VisMain course · GhentWWitloof gegratineerdMain course · AntwerpBelgian endive wrapped in cooked ham, baked in béchamel and gratinated under aged Gouda or Vieux Bruges.WWitloof met Hesp en KaasMain course · BrugesBelgian endive (witloof) wrapped in ham and covered in béchamel and cheese, then baked.