The 20 most famous dishes of Belgium
Belgian cooking combines French finesse with Flemish generosity; Belgium is world-famous for its fries, waffles, chocolate and mussels.
1Moules-Frites
Mussels steamed with celery, onion and butter, served with fries — Belgium's national dish.
2Carbonade Flamande
Flemish beef stew with caramelised onions, mustard-spread bread and brown sugar, slightly sweet.
3Gentse Waterzooi
A creamy chicken stew from Ghent with vegetables, cream and egg yolks.
4Liège Waffle
A dense yeasted waffle studded with pearl sugar that caramelises as it bakes — eaten hot on the street.
5Brussels Waffle
A light rectangular waffle with deep pockets, served with icing sugar or cream and strawberries.
6Belgian Frites
Fries cooked twice for a crisp outside and fluffy inside, served in a paper cone with mayonnaise — Belgians…
7Chicons au Gratin
Braised Belgian endives wrapped in sliced meat in a cheesy béchamel, baked until golden.
8Boulets Liégeois
Large meatballs in a sweet-sour sauce of Liège syrup (apple-pear) and onions, served with fries.
9Stoemp
Potatoes mashed with vegetables like carrots, spinach or leeks, served with sausages or meat.
10Tomate aux Crevettes
Hollowed tomatoes filled with tiny North Sea grey shrimp in mayonnaise — a classic Belgian starter.
11Croquettes aux Crevettes
Creamy croquettes filled with grey shrimp, crisp outside, served with lemon and fried parsley.
12Vol-au-Vent
Puff pastry cases filled with creamy chicken, mushroom and meatball sauce.
13Mitraillette
Half a baguette stuffed with fried meat, fries and sauce — Brussels's giant fast food.
14Paling in 't Groen
River eel cooked in a green sauce of many herbs — sorrel, spinach, parsley and tarragon.
15Filet Américain
Very finely minced raw beef with mayonnaise and seasoning, spread on bread or served with fries.
16Belgian Pralines
Filled chocolates with ganache or praline, invented by Jean Neuhaus in Brussels in 1912.
17Cuberdon
Purple cone-shaped sweets from Ghent, firm outside and filled with thick raspberry syrup inside.
18Tarte au Sucre
A soft yeasted tart topped with brown sugar, butter and cream — a sweet of Wallonia.
19Asperges à la Flamande
Boiled white asparagus topped with melted butter, chopped boiled egg, parsley and nutmeg — a spring dish.
20Belgian Speculoos
Thin, crisp biscuits of caramelised brown sugar and cinnamon, served with coffee in every Belgian café — the…