10 Main Dishes of Belgian Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

Belgian cuisine is not only about the legendary chocolate or waffles. And in Brussels tourists are not imposed on Brussels sprouts at all – here is completely different street food. Eateries across the country offer home-style, simple, hearty dishes, while restaurants offer impressively fine dining. 

By the way, Belgium holds the record for the number of Michelin-starred restaurants per square kilo. We will tell you what is worth trying in Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and other cities: from traditional dishes to street food. We will advise which products to bring home. Descriptions of Belgian cuisine with photos will help you not to get confused in this “delicious” country.

Waterzooi

For seafood lovers in Belgium, you should definitely try the traditional fish soup. It is prepared from fish, mussels, shrimp, or eel, and sometimes from a whole “cocktail” of seafood. Carrots, leeks, potatoes, celery are added to the broth. Usually, there are a lot of vegetables. The most delicate creamy sauce, classic European spices, and fresh herbs give a special taste to the Belgian soup. Order this dish in one of the restaurants in Brussels or Antwerp – it’s really delicious.

French Fries

Be sure to try the Belgian fries. It was invented in this particular country. In Belgium, they cook the most “correct”, and most importantly – delicious french fries. Warm, soft, crispy – it is good even without any sauces, but the Belgians prefer mayonnaise to it. French fries should be eaten hot, and the most delicious is sold on the street in ordinary street food stalls. In Brussels, you can sometimes meet politicians or other famous people in line for a legendary snack. Even in the most expensive restaurants in Belgium, french fries are a popular side dish for meat.

Moules Frites

A simple and incredibly tasty Belgian dish – mussels with fries. It can be found all over the country and is considered traditional. The combination of products seems strange at first glance, but in Belgium, they definitely know a lot about good cuisine. Therefore, be sure to order this national dish at one of the eateries in Brussels or buy a portion at a street food stall. Mussels are often served with the broth in which they were cooked. Shallots, herbs, butter, sour cream, mustard are often added to it. Potatoes with mussels complement each other harmoniously.

In Belgium, there are three types of this dish worth trying:

• a la creme – with herbs in a creamy sauce;
• hot circus – with hot sauce
• a la biere – in beer sauce.

Mitraillette

Another popular street food in Belgium based on French fries. Literally translated, the name of the sandwich sounds like “submachine gun”. On the streets of Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, and other cities, mitraillette is sold in mobile eateries. The sandwich contains a crispy baguette, French fries, selected pieces of fried meat, sauce (usual mayonnaise with mustard), some vegetables, cheese. Try this delicious Belgium sandwich at least once in your life – you’ll see why it’s considered a favorite food of local students.

Take home some Belgian meat (like Ardennes ham) or bacon in its original vacuum packaging. And also local sauces. You can buy mayonnaise to understand why it is so popular in Belgium.

Carbonnade Flamande

Flemish goulash is a national Belgian dish originally from Flanders. You should definitely try it because it is really tasty. The locals love Belgian goulash – it is a hearty food that is especially good in the cold season. Dark beer, bread, and mustard, which are added to meat when frying, add a special piquancy to the dish. They transform the taste of beef, make it especially tender. The bread is boiled and thickened – you get a great beer sauce.
It is believed that goulash should be washed down with the beer with which it was prepared. Therefore, bring a couple of jars of the national drink from Belgium – an excellent treat to loved ones.

Beer-Braised Rabbit

Feel free to try in Belgium any dish in the name of which the word lapin (or konijn) appears – rabbit meat. The locals cook this meat amazingly. The most popular Belgian dish in this category is rabbit meat stewed in beer. The meat is marinated in beer with wine and vinegar (sounds strange, but it’s delicious!), Then sprinkled with spices and fried in bacon until golden brown. The already fragrant dish is filled with the most delicate creamy beer sauce. The meat literally melts in the mouth, it is so soft. Try another version of rabbit meat in Belgium – with plums.

Eels in Green Sauce

Be sure to try this unusual dish in Belgium. River eel is used for its preparation. Its piquant taste is successfully complemented by a whole bunch of greens. This appetizing creamy sauce contains refreshing mint, oregano, sage, lemon balm, and many spices. Sometimes a little spinach is added to it for a brighter color, but in the classic recipe, it is not. This masterpiece of Belgian cuisine can be tasted hot or cold, lightly drizzled with lemon juice. Be sure to order a glass of beer or wine with it – it is in this form that gourmets advise to use it.

The eel can be delivered from Belgium in vacuum packaging. And in the Sunday bazaars of Brussels, Antwerp, or Bruges, it is easy to find excellent quality spices.

Chicory Gratin

Chicory is often found in typical Belgian cuisine. One of the most popular options that you should definitely pay attention to is chicory baked in ham with cheese sauce. This is a surprisingly tender dish with a pleasant salty and creamy taste. Ruddy ham, delicious cheese crust, unusual chicory pulp – the combination is simply delicious. Usually, the gratin is served with green salad and fries.

Liege Salad

For lighter traditional dishes in Belgium, we advise you to try the warm salad, the recipe for which was invented in the Liege region. The composition is simple: potatoes, green beans, bacon. However, the last ingredient and the spicy vinegar dressing make for a great dish. Sometimes a poached egg, buttercream, shallots, or something else is added to a liege salad in Belgium. Either way, it should be ordered from a diner or restaurant.

Stump

As a side dish to any meat dish in Belgium, it is worth ordering not only french fries. Try a stump (pictured on the left). This is a very aromatic vegetable puree with spices. Potatoes, carrots, green peas, spinach, leeks, or a mixture of several root vegetables can be any base. The aroma is given by bay leaf and thyme. Sometimes chunks of crispy bacon and heavy cream are added to the stump – a great stand-alone dish that can be tasted without any additives.

Also Like

10 Main Dishes of Albanian Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

Albanian cuisine echoes Turkish and Balkan classics. However, the locals skillfully adapted it for themselves. They love meat, fresh vegetables, aromatic spices. We will tell you what food is worth trying in Albania for every tourist. Names, photos, and d...

10 Main Dishes of Brazilian Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

Brazilian cuisine is all about meat, seafood, and mouth-watering street food. National dishes in the country are not prepared for the sake of tourists – the locals themselves willingly eat them. Therefore, feel free to eat in eateries or buy street food. ...

10 Main Dishes of Chinese Cuisine: What to Try for Tourists

Chinese cuisine is about noodles, golden caramelized meat, plump steamed dumplings, juicy vegetables, and a fantastic mix of unusual flavors. Even if you are going to Hainan, and not too colorful Beijing or crazy Shanghai, you will have a chance to get to...

10 Main Dishes of Cuban Cuisine: What to Try for Tourists

The basis of Cuban cuisine is beans, rice, meat, and vegetables. Locals have come up with dozens of dishes from these ingredients. They add unusual sauces, aromatic herbs, and aromatic spices to the base products. The result is small masterpieces “out of ...

10 Main Dishes of Georgian Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

Georgian cuisine is hot khachapuri with viscous cheese, juicy meat with piquant sauces, fragrant thick stews in clay pots. Everything is natural, hearty, prepared with care, and at home. Georgians are proud of their cuisine and cook not only for the sake ...

10 Main Dishes of Hungarian Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

Hungarian cuisine is fragrant, always very tender and piquant in taste, hot dishes, delicious pastries. We will tell you what every tourist should try in Budapest. Stews, juicy vegetables, rich soups, gourmet snacks, desserts worthy of royal blood. Hungar...

10 Main Dishes of Latvian Cuisine: What to Try for Tourists

Latvian cuisine is hearty at home, sweet to heart, and most importantly – very tasty. The ingredients of the main gastronomic symbols of the country are simple: vegetables, cereals, farm meat, and dairy products, fish, berries. They don’t eat sprats here,...

10 Main Dishes of Moroccan Cuisine: What to Try for a Tourist

In Morocco, you can try classic Arabic dishes – aromatic and spicy, incredibly tasty, always mouth-watering, and very satisfying. However, the country’s national cuisine is unique in many ways. We will tell you exactly what you need to try in Morocco in t...

10 Main Dishes of Qatari Cuisine: What to Try for Tourists

Qatar’s national cuisine is a mix of Arabic and Indian dishes. There are almost no own products in the country – they are bought from neighbors. Traditional restaurants in Doha offer guests Iranian pilaf, Indian biryani, Lebanese dolma, and everything tha...

10 Best Egyptian Dishes: What to Try for a Tourist

The traditional Egyptian cuisine is really interesting. Oriental dishes are fragrant, hearty, sometimes non-standard, but very tasty. We will tell you what is worth trying in Egyptian hotels and restaurants of national cuisine. At the same time, we will a...

Vietnamese Cuisine for Tourists

Vietnamese cuisine is a mixture of Chinese, Indian, French, and other traditions, while remaining completely unique and distinctive. The choice of dishes is quite varied, and the prices in restaurants and cafes are very reasonable and affordable. Vietname...

What to Try in Kazakhstan: 10 Traditional Dishes

Kazakh cuisine is hearty at home, quite fatty, but still tasty in its own way. In this country, they love and really know how to cook meat, pastries, and dairy products. We will tell you what dishes are worth trying for tourists in Nur-Sultan and other ci...

What to Try in Laos: 10 Traditional Dishes

Lao cuisine is not very well known in the world as something independent and unique. This has more to do with the country’s difficult history than with the food itself. In Laos, incredibly delicious! Traditional cuisine is spicy, spicy, aromatic, and very...

Indian Cuisine: 10 Dishes to Try in India

Indian cuisine is a whole bunch of incredible spices, wonderful combinations of various vegetables with tender meat or cheese, a fantastic riot of tastes. In this country, they know how to make a gastronomic masterpiece from the simplest products. No wond...

10 Iconic Moldavian Dishes: What to Try in Chisinau

Food in Moldova is characterized by the simplicity of ingredients, large portions, and homemade flavors. In the restaurants of Chisinau, food is served as if you were visiting your beloved grandmother. Rich soup for the first, warm stew with a cutlet for ...

What to Try in Mexico: 10 Traditional Delicious Dishes

The best Mexican food is made up of simple, hearty ingredients: beans, corn, meat, tortillas, potatoes. However, savory sauces like guacamole or spicy salsa do not allow them to be called primitive. Even from a simple roll in lavash, local residents creat...

10 Main Danish Dishes

Danish cuisine is a good mix of Scandinavian and German dishes. Really tasty, very satisfying, sometimes unusual. Gourmets sometimes criticize Danes for their love of tradition and the rejection of complex dishes. However, even the best restaurants in Cop...

10 Dishes to Try in Austria

Austria is sometimes said to be a small country with great cuisine. At the same time, local chefs joke that they simply do not have the concept of “Austrian national cuisine”: it has absorbed so many culinary traditions from different parts of the world, ...

10 Dishes To Try in Colombia

Food in Colombia is high in calories, meaty and delicious. The coastal areas offer a huge selection of seafood, and in general, Colombia is rich in fruits. The cuisine is very diverse and varies depending on the regions of the country. In some areas, you ...

10 Must-Try Dishes in Ireland

The principle of traditional Irish cuisine is simple: hearty and tasty. In this practical country, meat and potatoes are held in high esteem – they are taken as the basis for cooking. The methods of processing the ingredients are also simple: they are boi...