Waterzooi van vis is Ghent's oldest civic dish: white-broth fish stew with North Sea catch, leeks, carrots and potatoes simmered in a cream-enriched vegetable stock, served in deep bowls with crusty bread.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Waterzooi dates to medieval Ghent when the Leie and Schelde rivers ran through the city and freshwater fish were the available protein. The name combines 'water' and 'zooien', a dialect verb for simmering. By the 15th century waterzooi was the dish of Ghent's guild feasts. The original recipe used freshwater fish; as rivers were diverted and city growth reduced the catch, cooks shifted to chicken (waterzooi van kip), but the fish version is the authentic Ghentian one. Every brasserie from the Graslei to the Patershol serves a version.
Common allergens: Fish, Dairy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Do not let the broth boil hard once the cream is in or it will split. A gentle simmer is the key to the silky Ghent style.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
't Klokhuys runs out of a narrow Patershol house and is one of the most cited places in the city for Gentse waterzooi. The room seats fewer than 30 people.
Order: Gentse waterzooi with chicken: the stock is rich, the vegetables are cooked right through.
Tip: Book at least two days ahead; the room is tiny and fills weeks ahead in summer.
Amadeus in Patershol built its reputation on all-you-can-eat spareribs served in warm candlelit rooms since it opened in the city's oldest quarter.
Signature: All-you-can-eat spareribs, Irish Coffee
Order: The all-you-can-eat spareribs format, which is the reason most tables are booked before the week starts.
Tip: Sunday lunch from noon is the most relaxed service; evening bookings go weeks ahead in high summer.
Pakhuis fills a converted 19th-century warehouse behind a central alley. The cavernous glass-roofed interior keeps a menu of daily-fresh oysters, moules.
Order: Moules frites: the mussels arrive in a deep cast-iron pot and the frites alongside are fried to order.
Tip: Book ahead for weekend dinner; the warehouse vibe is worth it for a big-group celebration.
More cities are in research. Want waterzooi van vis covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.