26 Most Popular Belgian Foods You Should Try 2022
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Loading... - Melanie De Smet
- 21 Jun 2022
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How well do you know about Belgian foods? Bordering culinary superpowers like France and Germany, Belgium seems relatively inferior. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say Belgian cuisine pales in comparison to its neighbors.
Dispelling that myth is the purpose of this post. I’m going to show you how many mouth-watering, eye-pleasing, hunger-provoking dishes the tiny European country can offer. Keep on reading to see how Belgium’s small size does nothing to affect its culinary excellence!
Amazing Belgian Appetizers To Start Your Meal
It would be a good idea to whet your appetite with these light yet delightful dishes. They are excellent at leading you to have a desire for more.
1. Vol-au-Vent – Belgian Chicken Cream Puff Pastry
What Belgian food has the most poetic name? If there ever were such a contest, Vol-au-Vent or “windblown” would unquestionably claim the first prize. The dish is a type of puff pastry so light and airy that it’s got the fancy name nobody dares to translate into English.
Just bite a fist-sized, adorable-looking Vol-au-Vent, and your taste buds will be soaked in a savory, creamy mixture of chicken and cream. Quickly balance the overwhelming sensation with some fries, mashed potatoes, or vegetables.
Vol-au-Vent is typically an attractive appetizer of Belgian and Luxembourg cuisine. But if you want a nice Belgian lunch recipe, just serve the dish in a large quantity with a lot of accompaniments. A hearty and fulfilling meal will be yours to relish.
2. Filet Américan – Belgian Steak Tartare
Despite being thousands of miles apart, America manages to leave its name on a lot of European dishes. One such example is Filet Américan, a steak tartare that has been around for nearly a century.
Minced raw beef and onions are the main ingredients of filet américan. But what distinguishes it from other types of steak tartare is its liberal amount of spices that gives it a more powerful and savory flavor.
You can eat this steak tartare with fries and sauces as an appetizer. Or you can combine it with baguettes and pickles to create the mouth-watering Belgian Martino sandwich.
3. Pommes Frites – Belgian Fries
Quick question: what country invented French fries? Don’t be so hasty with your answer because many Belgians claim that their forefathers were the first ones to come up with the snack. Two things are certain, though; first, nobody calls it “French fries” in Belgium.
And secondly, Belgian fries are the best in the world. The key to their supremacy lies in how they are doubled fried. The first frying cooks their inside to a tender consistency, while the second one, just before serving, gives them their much-celebrated crispness.
The Belgians are so fond of their fries that almost none of the great Belgian foods are complete without them. When eaten alone, the fries don’t have to go with ketchup. You can dip them in garlicky-mayo sauce, samurai sauce, or Belgian sauce andalouse.
4. Pain Cramique – Belgian Raisin Bread
Belgian cuisine has been significantly influenced by France’s gastronomic culture. But its people usually come up with interesting ways to infuse Belgian qualities into their borrowed dishes. For example, they turned French brioche into the highly Belgian Pain Cramique.
People improved this version with raisins and a higher content of milk and butter. The result is the richer and more tender Pain Cramique. The bread can be spread with butter and jam for a quick meal or served as an appetizer.
5. Bloedworst – Belgian Blood Sausage
People often say you need to challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone. If you’re looking for a culinary challenge, come and try Bloedworst, or Boudin Noir, the Belgian version of blood sausage.
Blood (cow’s or pig’s) isn’t the only thing that makes the sausage tick. There are other ingredients such as animal fat, pork or cow shoulder, herbs, and sometimes bread crumbs. The end product tastes as savory and meaty as any good sausage.
You can cook Bloedworst in a number of ways: grilling, sauteing, barbecuing, etc. Or even better, you can try eating it raw! Don’t forget to always serve it with apple sauce and mashed potatoes. Read More...
