Uncovering Belgium: beyond beer and chocolate

It only took Beth a few minutes upon arrival to Brussels to make her proclamation. “I want some waffles!”

“I’m not eating waffles.”, I replied obnoxiously. “I’m not into them.”

Beth gasped in disbelief of my ridiculous comment. After a decade of friendship, you can easily tell when your friend is silently plotting her waffle eating strategy.  Lavina’s silence told me she was indifferent.

It’s simple things that drive my spontaneous bookings these days. A picturesque town, an underappreciated city or a cuisine worth traveling for typically grabs my attention. Belgium, a small country with a little over 11 million people, satisfied these criteria. It’s known for its quaint medieval towns, renaissance architecture and famous foods like beer, chocolate, frites (known to Americans erroneously as french fries) and waffles. The Dutch, German and French influences in the culture are well represented in the cuisine. We spent four full days stationed in Brussels, making day trips to Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent.

For the next two days, we walked past the sweet, yeasty, buttery smell of Belgian waffles fresh off the griddle being served on the streets of these various cities.  On day three, we were sitting in Grand Place, Brussels’ main square, enjoying a live jazz band when Lavina and I decided to find some snacks to enjoy with our wine. We stumbled upon a long queue leading to a patisserie called Maison Dandoy serving waffles on one side and Belgium’s famous spiced speculoos cookies on the other. It was tempting but we opted for savory snacks instead.

On day four, after a day trip to Antwerp, we walked by an outpost of Chez Albert at Antwerp Central train station. “I could try a waffle. Let’s get some.”, I abruptly declared, anticipating the mockery from Beth that was about to quickly follow. Lavina concurred unwaveringly. I hurried up to the counter to place our order. That’s when I fell in love with the Liège waffle.

There are two main types of waffles. Belgian waffles, also known as Brussels waffles, are a far cry from the vehicles for maple syrup and whipped cream found in the US. They are long rectangles with perfectly formed edges and deep pockets. Whipped egg whites folded into the yeast batter produce a crispy exterior with a light and airy texture. Liège waffles, the lesser known type, are shorter, denser and have irregular edges giving them a rustic appearance. Their thicker, bread-like yeast batter that takes longer to prepare as it needs time to rise. The addition of pearl sugar results in a caramelized and slightly sticky exterior with a sweet doughy interior. This one stole my heart. In my opinion, they are best enjoyed plain or with a sprinkling of powdered sugar if you insist.

On our last day, I woke up thinking about that waffle, wondering if it was representative of the best waffle in the city. We planned to head to Ghent for a day of exploring and enjoy dinner at a small one-star Michelin restaurant, Publiek. After doing a little morning research, I found that Maison Dandoy, located 1.2 miles away from us, was consistently cited as the place to go for the best waffle in Brussels in multiple sources. It was 11 am and our train was at 2 pm. I proposed to Beth that we go for a strategic run to pick up some waffles to enjoy with brunch before we leave. Her eyes lit up and we were off. Nothing beats a destination run – undoubtedly my best performance in a while. We enjoyed our indulgent treats at home with some soft scrambled eggs. My research conclusion? That was one incredible waffle worth traveling (and running) for.

Belgium is an underappreciated destination. The food alone is incentive enough for a stopover though you’ll surely enjoy the people and picturesque surroundings just as much. So, don’t waffle in your decision and book a side trip the next time you’re in Paris!