Classic Belgian beers and dishes

Getting To Know Belgian Food and Beer

Chicons au gratin. A very typical Belgian dish and consists of endives which are rolled in ham and covered in béchamel sauce and cheese and cooked in the oven. This meal is usually served with mashed potato.

Pêches au thon. Mixing salty and sweet is common in Belgium. This dish basically consists of halved peaches stuffed with tuna and served with fries and salad.

Américain préparé/Frites. You cannot be fully integrated in Belgium and not have tried this dish. Although it may sound unappetizing to some, here in Belgium we love this ‘prepared’ raw meat with fries!

Moules/Frites. The world famous mussels and fries.

Carbonnade Flamande. A specialty of Flanders, this dish is a meat stew that contains beer and is simmered for hours.

Vol-au-Vent. This is a delicious dish made of a light salty pastry covered in a creamy chicken and mushroom sauce and is served with fries.

Tomates/Crevettes. Similar to the peaches and tuna, only with tomatoes and shrimps.

Stoemp/Saucisses. for cold winter days, Belgians love their stoemp with sausages. Traditionally stoemp is mashed potato and carrot but can also be made with many other vegetables (such as leek for example).

Steak/Frites. Steak and fries is probably the most popular dish in Belgium.

Gibier. During the winter holiday season, it is a custom in Belgium to eat game with cranberry and lots of vegetables.

We also enjoy home-made soups during the winter and quiches in the summer.

Beers

Cantillon. A classic sour Brussels Gueuze brewed in a historicbrewery close to Midi Station. The first sip can be a shock to drinkers used to artificially sweetened beers.

Trappistes Rochefort 10. A potent beer brewed by Trappist monks, with a complex and spicy taste. Considered Belgium’s finest Trappist ale, on a par with an expensive Burgundy wine.

Saison Dupont. An amber-tinted beer with a generous head and a mysterious earthy taste. “The best beer in the world. Period,” claims one seasoned beer connoisseur.

XX Bitter. A new bitter described by its makers as “the hoppiest in Belgium”.

Duvel. A favourite of former prime minister Jean-LucDehaene, this strong golden ale was described by beer writer Michael Jackson as “one of the five best beers in the world”.

La Chouffe. A sublime amber beer with a spicy taste, brewed in a small village in the Ardennes.

Westvleteren 12°. A dark and malty ale brewed in an abbey in West Flanders and sold by the crate every morning.

De Koninck. A classic Belgian ale from Antwerp, sold in virtually every café in its home town. Simply ask for a “bolleke” and the waiter will bring you a 33cl round glass.

Poperings Hommel Bier. A subtly-flavoured hop beer brewed in the village of Watou in West Flanders.

Rodenbach Grand Cru. A Belgian summer classic, this red-brown beer is fermented in huge oak casks to give it a distinctive sour flavour.