Food & Drink

Belgian chefs may be influenced by the French, but they add their own special touches. Native specialties in Wallonia include jambon d'Ardenne (ham from the hills and valleys of the Ardennes) and savory boudin de Liège (a succulent sausage mixed with herbs). Almost every menu lists tomates aux crevettes (tomatoes stuffed with tiny, delicately sweet North Sea shrimps and light, homemade mayonnaise), which is filling enough for a light lunch and delicious as an appetizer. A special treat awaits visitors in May and June in the form of Belgian asparagus, and from October to March there's endive, which is known in Belgium as witloof (white leaf).

Belgian cuisine is based on the country's own regional traditions and produce, such as asparagus, chicory (endive), and the humble Brussels sprout. A tradition in Brussels is to cook with local beers like gueuze and faro. In addition, look for great steaming pots of Zeeland mussels, which have a fanatical local following. Most places serve both a plat du jour/dagschotel (plate of the day) and a value-for-money, two- or three-course menu.

Flanders has added its own ingredients to the mix of Belgian cuisine. The Flemish share the Dutch fondness for raw herring, generally eaten with equally raw onions, while sole à l'Ostendaise (sole in a white-wine sauce) and the small, gray North Sea shrimps are firm favorites. River fish used to be the main ingredient of the Flemish souplike stew called waterzooï, but today's rivers being polluted, chicken is now a more familiar ingredient.

If you're basically a potatoes person, you're in good company, for Belgians dote on their steak-frites, available at virtually every restaurant -- even when not listed on the menu. Lest you think that frites in Belgium are the same as American "french fries," let me enlighten you. These are twice-fried potatoes, as light as the proverbial feather. They're sold in paper cones on many street corners and (in my opinion) are best when topped with homemade mayonnaise, though you may prefer curry or even your usual ketchup. Frites will accompany almost anything you order in a restaurant.

Seafood anywhere in Belgium is fresh and delicious. Moules (mussels) are a specialty in Brussels, where you find a concentration of restaurants along Petite rue des Bouchers that feature them in just about every guise you can imagine. (Ironically, Belgian mussels actually come from Zeeland in Holland and may, in fact, be the only Dutch products Belgians will admit to being any good.) Homard (lobster) comes in a range of dishes. Don't miss the heavenly Belgian creation called écrevisses à la liègeoise (crayfish in a rich butter, cream, and white-wine sauce). Eel, often "swimming" in a grass-green sauce, is popular in both Flanders (where it's called paling in 't groen) and Wallonia (anguilles au vert).

No matter where you eat, you should know that service will be professional but not necessarily speedy. Belgians don't just dine; they savor each course -- if you're in a hurry, you're better off heading for a street vendor or an imported fast-food establishment.

Finally, a word on Belgian chocolate. Whatever the Swiss or anyone else might say to the contrary, Belgian chocolates are the world champs; they're so lethally addictive they ought to be sold with a government health warning. They can be wonderful gifts for friends back home. Those made by Chocolatier Mary, Wittamer, Nihoul, Neuhaus, and Leonidas ought to do the trick. Buy them loose, in bags weighing from 100 grams to boxes of 2 kilograms or more. Take a prepared box, or simply point to those you want, or ask the assistant for a mixture. Made with real cream, they do not keep well -- but you weren't planning on keeping them for long anyway, were you?

False Friend -- Watch out for steak américain, which might sound like a nice, big, mouthwateringly juicy American-style steak, but is in fact raw chopped beef!

Belgian Fries -- Let's get this straight: "French fries" are really Belgian fries. U.S. and British soldiers serving in Belgium during World War I were served fries by folks who spoke French and, voila!, a popular misconception was born. The modest Belgians didn't think to tell the troops they'd been eating Belgian fries for more than 300 years, ever since a very cold winter around 1600.

Beer & Gin

What to drink with all those tasty dishes? Why, beer, of course! Belgium is justly famous for its brewing tradition, and this tiny country has more than 100 breweries producing around 450 different brews. Some are pilners, like Stella Artois, Jupiler, Maes, Primus, and Eupener. The majority, however, are local beers, specialties of a region, city, town, or village; some are made by monks. Each beer has a distinct, and often beautiful, glass, which is why you can instantly tell what everyone is drinking in a Belgian bar. Needless to say, with so many choices it may take quite a bit of sampling to find a favorite. Among names to look for are Duvel, Chimay, Hoegaarden, De Koninck, and Kwak; and Faro, Krieklambiek, and Lambiek from the area around Brussels.

The most unusual Belgian style is lambic, a light, effervescent brew often infused with fruit flavors, which is made only in a small region near Brussels. Unlike the modern steel-tanks-and-gauges approach to brewing, lambics are left to ferment naturally in shallow open containers.

Then there are the heavenly tasting beers brewed by Trappist monks. There are six Trappist breweries in the land: Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Sint-Benedictus of Achel, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. The Trappist ales from the Abbaye de Notre Dame de Scourmont at Chimay in the south of Belgium are produced using a special yeast isolated by one of the monks after World War II. An extra helping of this yeast is added to the beer when it's being bottled to enhance its flavor.

For a digestif, you might try a gin, in Flanders known as jenever (or, colloquially, as witteke), and in Wallonia known as genièvre (colloquially as pèkèt). This stiff grain-spirit is often served in glasses little bigger than a thimble. Belgium's 70 jenever distilleries produce some 270 varieties, some flavored with juniper, coriander, or other herbs and spices. Among notable brands are Filliers Oude Graanjenever, De Poldenaar Oude Antwerpsche, Heinrich Pèkèt de la Piconette, Sint-Pol, and van Damme. Jenever in a stone bottle makes an ideal gift.