What’s in Season in Ghent

What is in season in Ghent. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

{'item': 'Asparagus from Sint-Katelijne-Waver', 'notes': "White asparagus from the Mechelen and Sint-Katelijne-Waver growing belt arrives at Ghent's Groentenmarkt from late April. Restaurants in the Patershol serve it with Hollandaise or browned butter through May. The season lasts about six weeks and is treated as a Flemish culinary event."}
{'item': 'Spring lamb from Flemish polders', 'notes': 'Polder-raised lamb from the coastal meadows of East Flanders appears on fine-dining menus at Vrijmoed, Publiek and OAK from March. Lighter and less fatty than autumn lamb, it is used in roasted or lightly braised preparations with spring herbs.'}
{'item': 'Morels from the Ardennes', 'notes': "Wild morels from the Belgian Ardennes are traded at Ghent's specialist markets from late March to May. Bask and Boris et Maurice use them as a seasonal centrepiece; the mushroom brokers at the Groentenmarkt source them from Walloon foragers."}
{'item': 'Rhubarb tarts at Joost Arijs', 'notes': "Patisserie Joost Arijs introduces a forced rhubarb tart in February using Dutch forced rhubarb; the outdoor-grown Belgian variety arrives by April. The spring tart menu at Arijs is one of Ghent's most followed seasonal pastry moments."}

{'item': 'Tomatoes from Roeselare hothouses', 'notes': 'Belgian greenhouse tomatoes from the Roeselare cluster arrive in June, followed by field-grown Flemish tomatoes in July and August. The heirloom varieties at the Vrijdagmarkt and Kouter Sunday market are served raw with mayonnaise and boiled eggs as the quintessential Belgian summer lunch.'}
{'item': 'Mussels from Zeeland', 'notes': "The mussel season opens at the end of July when the first Zeeland mussels arrive at Ghent's fishmongers. Mosselen-friet, the classic preparation of steamed mussels with frites and white wine broth, appears on brasserie menus across the city until October. The Groentenmarkt fish stalls are the fastest route to the first catch of the season."}
{'item': 'Gentse Feesten street food, July', 'notes': "The ten-day July festival turns Ghent's streets into an outdoor kitchen. Stoverij over frites at the Vrijdagmarkt stalls, Belgian waffles at every corner and cuberdon in paper bags are the emblematic festival foods. The best-value eating is from the semi-permanent stalls near Korenmarkt."}
{'item': 'Flemish strawberries and cherries', 'notes': 'East Flanders strawberries from the Gavere and Zulte belt ripen from June; the Friday market vendors mark them as local. Belgian Schaerbeek cherries are the more special find in late June and July: a semi-wild variety with a bitter-sweet flavour profile used at the fine-dining level at Vrijmoed and Roots.'}

{'item': 'Wild mushrooms from the Ardennes, September', 'notes': 'Cep and chanterelle season from the Belgian Ardennes opens in September, reaching the mushroom brokers at the Groentenmarkt. Several Patershol restaurants build autumn mushroom menus around the arrival, often paired with the Ghent craft beers from Dok Noord.'}
{'item': 'Game from the Belgian Ardennes', 'notes': "Wild boar, venison and partridge from the Ardennes appear on Ghent fine-dining menus from October. Vrijmoed's autumn tasting menu is built around game as a centrepiece; the Patershol brasseries follow with wild boar stew and pheasant terrines through November."}
{'item': 'Endive and witloof', 'notes': 'Belgian witloof chicory is harvested from October in the Flemish growing districts and is available through winter. It appears braised with ham and bechamel as chicon au gratin on brasserie and home-cooking menus; the raw form is used in autumn salads at the modern Ghent kitchens.'}
{'item': 'New season Flemish mustard at Tierenteyn', 'notes': 'Tierenteyn-Verlent on the Groentenmarkt produces their mustard in small batches through the year, but autumn is when East Flemish mustard seeds come in from the summer harvest. The shop draws a seasonal queue of locals refilling their containers with freshly-ground Ghent mustard.'}

{'item': 'Gentse stoverij for winter', 'notes': "Stoverij, the dark-beer beef braise, is at its most consumed during Ghent winters. The brasseries along the Graslei serve it over frites from November to March; the version at 't Klokhuys uses Gruut amber for the braise and is widely considered the best in the city."}
{'item': "Jenever at 't Dreupelkot", 'notes': "Winter is the season for jenever in Ghent. 't Dreupelkot on the Groentenmarkt serves aged varieties in warming ceramic cups; the old-style grain jenever is the winter drink of the traditional brown-cafe circuit across Patershol and the Vrijdagmarkt."}
{'item': 'Speculoos and winter pastries', 'notes': 'Belgian speculoos biscuits, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, are a year-round product but reach their peak at Christmas. The bakeries at Himschoot on the Groentenmarkt produce seasonal speculoos in shapes cut from traditional moulds. Joost Arijs produces a speculoos pastry cream used in Christmas patisserie.'}
{'item': 'Ghent Winter Market food village, December', 'notes': 'The winter market at Korenmarkt and Sint-Baafsplein runs from late November with a food village of Belgian seasonal stalls. Hot punch with jenever, warm chocolate, stoofvlees in bread rolls and cuberdon in waxed bags are the standard winter market circuit in Ghent.'}