Antwerp Food Guide
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Loading... - Marie Bouwmeester
- 27 Jun 2022
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They say love goes through your stomach. When visiting a new place, we make sure to experience it through local food. Antwerp was no different, as we made our way around the city, going from bars, through restaurants to chocolatiers. We know you are foodies just like we are, so we put together an Antwerp food guide which contains information about local delicacies. We especially encourage you to experience a variety of chocolates and beers, to properly experience the Belgian way of eating and drinking. If you travel vegan like us, you will find several vegan options in our guide, but most restaurants and shops described below have normal options for all foodies as well.
So, here is our Antwerp food guide which you can do on our own, or with a local guide.
ANTWERPSE HANDJES
The Antwerpse Handjes are one of the most well-known products in Antwerp. You can call them Antwerp hands, and they are usually made of biscuit or chocolate. The traditional biscuit is made of sanddough with almonds and the chocolate version is usually made with milk chocolate. Luckily, there are some dark chocolate versions as well. They are filled with marzipan and Elixir d’Anvers. The hand refers to the legend of the giant who demanded a toll from all ships which moored in the port. If they refused to pay, their hand would be cut off. Legend has it that a brave Roman captain, Brabo, challenged the giant, defeated him, cut off his hand and threw it in the river.
A little morbid story which sure created a lot of sweet results.
ELIXIR D’ANVERS
Elixir d’Anvers has been awarded dozens of medals and certificate of honours all around the world. Elixir d’Anvers is prepared according to a local, traditional recipe which gives the liquor a special and unique flavour and taste. Be sure to slowly sip it and taste it nicely. When we had ours, we thought we should down it, like any other liquor we had before. This is not the Belgian way.
Elixir d’Anvers was created in 1863.
CUBERDON
The Cuberdon, also known as the Gentse neus (because it resembles a nose) is a typical Flemish sweet which you can taste in Antwerp. The ideal way to enjoy a Cuberdon is fresh as otherwise, its shell becomes too crispy. The traditional cuberdon is purple and raspberry flavoured although nowadays you can find an array of flavours and colours.
FRIES
Most people associate fries with France (French fries) however the origins of fries can be traced back to Belgium. It is believed the name of "French Fries" was given by American soldiers during WWII because they were positioned in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Belgium introduced the fried potatoes in the late 17th century. The Belgians are peculiar about their fries as the perfect frites are known to be one centimetre thick and be fried twice. Vegan tip: Know that traditionally, fries are cooked in animal fat, so before you order your portion, make sure to ask if they are done in oil. Belgian fries almost always come with a sauce, and it's more often than not mayonnaise. You can, of course, skip the topping if you wish.
BELGIAN TRUFFLES
Eating Belgian truffles is one of the best things about visiting Antwerp. The centre of the city is home to so many skilled chocolatiers, it's incredible. And that makes it hard to decide where to go and buy your truffles from. Well, we decided to simply visit all of them. Seriously, we went from chocolate shop to chocolate shop and purchased small samples to taste them all. To this day, our favourite shop was Nello. Read More...
