Belgium Culinary Delights

Belgians have a ravenous appetite for the good life

by Deborah Burst

It was my inaugural journey to Europe, and Belgium stole my heart. Her storied architecture, sinful chocolate and sacred beer is well known, but inside the rolling countryside lives a trail of culinary delights. Traveling in a Mercedes-Benz cruiser with leather seats and panoramic windows, we course the backroads in a perfect introduction to Belgium’s sustainable menus. Lazy, plump cows lounging on emerald pastures against a backdrop of propeller style windmills, while rivers and cold water streams hug waves of vibrant farmlands.

Chefs work their magic from a short-leashed footprint with backyard herbs and local produce. They stay true to organic and heritage ingredients rejecting pesticides and factory farming. Specialty foods include Frites (fries), chocolate, mussels, waffles, white asparagus, and luscious strawberries from the town of Wepion. Belgium anoints its windows with epicurean fantasies of cheese, sausages, gourmet chocolates and waffles drizzled with chocolate and whipped cream.

Scenic routes contrast farmlands dotted with cathedrals and castles to small roving towns with citadels rising from the River Meuse. There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere else in the world. Some have moats while others have labyrinth garden mazes. A 13th century castle, the Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, presents three museums using a backdrop of ancient stone walls and fireplaces with revolving exhibits of modern art.

Not far away, the Lemonnier Restaurant captures one of the most idyllic Belgium settings. Love of land, country and family come together with a father/son chef team focused on innovative cuisine sourced from nearby waters and a backyard herb garden. Grilled trout, Trappist bear bread and white asparagus ladled with fresh egg dressing, all bring to mind the Belgium countryside. The restaurant’s matriarch completes the experience in an earth toned table décor set in a glass coved terrace drawing color from outdoors while inside is a fiery gallery of local artwork.

We make our way to St. Hubert lined in rolling cobblestone streets with people and pups peering out wide open windows scaled with pansy window boxes. Mother and son with book bag walk the streets jabbering about school, albeit in French, still a familiar tale. Nearby Auberge du Sabotier captures the town’s rural fare as Chef/owner Luc Dewalque serves a kitchen side table with a local favorite of Cochon de lait.

The smallest city in the world with a population of 300, Durbuy is a delightful town with a hint of Louisiana fare. Owner, Michel Trine, of the Marckloff microbrewery and La Ferme au Chene café began an annual crawfish festival after eating crawfish in Ville Platte, Louisiana. Held every June, Durbuy restaurants feature crawfish dishes served with a special beer brewed by Trine. An open grill kitchen at the Grill at Sanglier des Ardennes drew rave reviews with their gilled chicken, some touting the best of the trip.

Up the hill, our group was introduced to a jam and jelly kitchen filled with rows of deep copper pans used to simmer fresh berries and flowers. In spring dandelion and lilac are collected in full bloom while the summer brings old fashioned berries such as strawberry and blackberry. September harvests elderberry, hawthorn and dog rose. The fine jellies and jams offer healing virtues and sold at the Confiturerie Sanint-Amour in Durbuy. Witness the craft inside the kitchen and discover an art passed down from father to son in more than 90 years of jam making.

Hidden inside the mystical forests of the Ardennes, the Manoir des Leboilles offers guests discreet luxury in a fairy-tale design. Diners enjoy a vista of rolling woodlands embraced by a palatial setting of the finest European wines and chef Olivier Tucki creations. Working with the rhythm of the seasons, each dish invites color, design and texture with emphasis on a healthy and natural balance. First the scallop-shell from Erquy cooked just right with a slight crust joined by a lovely presentation of fresh green pea cream. And the lamb perfectly cooked then roasted in a blazing fire served with Aubergine confit.

A charming and scenic city on the River Muese, Huy (pronounced Oui in French) brought some of the trip’s most artistic culinary presentations. The only female Michelin starred chef in Belgium, Arabelle Meirlaen, brings a bouquet of flavor to every dish. An exquisite display of marinated prawn and beetroot is splashed with gin fizz ginger on a bed of green apple strips and a light dusting of clover, rose petal, and edible flowers. The hearty veal is balanced with citrus sauce and chopped celery, carrots and turnip. And for dessert, a whimsical collection of sorbet, yellow cake, cotton candy, dandelion and a rose petal. Intimate seating caressed with vibrant art looks out to Huy’s town square filled with al fresco seating lined with storied cathedrals and storefronts.

Belgium chocolatiers are revered for their creativity using pure cocoa, and many share their craft in chocolate shops throughout Belgium. Laurent Gerbaud, a cocoa purist, prides himself in assembling the finest cocoa beans from around the world. He gained a vast knowledge of taste while living in China and coats luscious kumquats, Persian red berries, Evoia pistachios and Sicilian orange peel with his signature dark chocolate. His shop is in the historical center of Brussels opposite the Palace of Fine Arts, and includes a chocolate-bar serving a variety of chocolate martinis and daring creations. The Laurent Gerbaud shop also offers a chocolate workshop including working the luscious fountain of chocolate then adding a rich selection of ingredients. Afterward Gerbaud joins the group in a sampling of chocolates and fruit sourced from several continents.

There are more than 650 beers in Belgium. In Brussels, past the international cafés and down a narrow alley, A La Becasee is a 19th century pub celebrating three generations serving vintage Belgian beers. Their specialty is the Lambic brews that use spontaneous fermentation, but also serve barrel beers (draft beer) and bottle beers. And a must visit for avid beer drinkers is Moeder Lambic Fontainas in Brussels with onsite brewing, sidewalk seating and 350 different beers. Their knowledgeable staff will help guide you through the menu of beers and an excellent selection of cheese and bread.

Home to 35 UNESCO World Heritage sites, Belgium dining is a culinary adventure dashed with a Joie de Vivre. Sidewalk cafés spill into the streets rimmed with 17th century architecture as Belgians dine on the world-class beer and chocolates. From quaint dining rooms dressed with eclectic art to jazzy brasseries charged with friendly chatter, she delivers a snappy version of Eurocentric gastronomy. Discover the Belgian’s whimsical spirit and hearty appetite for the good life in their 2012 Year of Gastronomy.

When you go…

Belgium tourist office in New York office at 212-758-8130, www.visitbelgium.com

All photos by Deborah Burst