White asparagus from the Mechelen-Ghent growing belt, poached in salted water and served with browned butter, hard-boiled egg and parsley. The defining Flemish spring vegetable at Ghent brasseries from April to June.

White asparagus cultivation in Flanders dates to the 16th century when the sandy soils of the Mechelen-Sint-Katelijne-Waver belt were found to produce the most tender and mildest spears in Belgium. The season lasts only six weeks; the arrival of white asparagus at Ghent's Groentenmarkt signals the start of spring in the city's kitchen calendar. Flemish white asparagus are earthed-up to prevent the sunlight that would make them turn green; the result is sweeter and less fibrous than the green variety. Every Patershol brasserie adds it to the menu in season.

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