Belgian cooking is refined and comes in generous portions; it combines flavors, colors and scents to whet one’s appetite. Whether you try a restaurant with one or more Michelin stars or a popular brasserie serving robust local dishes, Belgium offers many temptations.

10 Gourmet specialties:

* The “Chicon”: the Belgian name for endive. Slowly caramelized over a low flame or prepared “au gratin” with ham and “béchamel”
* Flemish “carbonades”: beef in a sauce, cooked in beer, with bacon cubes and spices.
* Shrimp croquettes: these should be eaten on the coast, with a well-chilled glass of dry white wine.
* Pheasant “à la brabançonne”: cooked with… chicons!
* Waterzooi: chicken in a flavorful mix of vegetables.
* The “Anguilles au vert” : eel cooked with spinach and sorrel
* “Stoemp”: Brussels’ small inns serve this hearty meal based on sausage or lard, accompanied by a purée of potatoes and vegetables.
* Game: in the Ardennes, the hunting season is the time to taste deer, venison, young wild boar, partridge, quail and hare.
* Mussels and chips: how could we forget them? With a cold beer or a glass of dry white wine, this is a very simple dish that is appreciated by many…
* Pastries : rice, sugar and cheese tarts, “mokken” of Ghent, al’djote” tart, “couques” of Dinant and “speculoos”, not to mention chocolate.

Shopping

What to bring back from Belgium? Shoppers are spoiled for choice, whatever styles they are looking for and regardless of the size of their budget. Surrender to the temptation of gourmet specialties: subtle chocolates, special beers and salted meats or fish. Admire the delicate lace of Brussels and Bruges, or break the bank and buy an exceptional stone at one of Antwerp’s many diamond merchants, whose reputation is known worldwide. Visit the stores of the most famous Belgian designers, their imagination has conquered the international jet set.