Destination: BELGIUM
Things To Know Influential Neighbors Landscape of History Beaches, Woodlands and Parks Exploring Belgium Diverse Foods Traditional Courtesy Language Divide	Diverse Foods Food in Belgium is often characterized as being French in quality and German in quantity. The reality is more subtle. Wallonian cuisine shares the French penchant for wine-based sauces, but traditional Belgian cuisine focuses particularly on beef and pork, and specializes in seafood in the west and game in the Ardennes. In most good hotels you will find the generous buffet breakfasts that are an international staple, comprising a variety of cereals, cheeses and hams, along with fish and smoked meats. For lunch and dinner, be adventurous. Try maatjes, marinated raw herring swallowed whole, but not quite the raw experience it seems. Or settle for mosselen, Belgian mussels in a variety of tangy sauces. For a truly filling meal, try waterzooi, a traditional Flemish stew of fresh vegetables with rabbit, chicken or fish, or paling in 't groen, freshwater eels in a green herb sauce. And do not miss Ardennes pâté or the region's excellent smoked ham. In spring look for asparagus with a butter-based sauce, chopped boiled egg and chopped ham. This goes nicely with one of Belgium's many excellent beers, which tend to be rich, mellow and smooth. In the Flemish and the Liège regions of Belgium the specialty is jenever, a grain spirit. For those with a sweet tooth, Belgium's famous chocolatiers will be irresistible. The specialties are individually made pralines with liqueur or cream fillings, and truffles with the utterly indulgent ingredients of butter, cream and sugar. Gaufres, tasty waffles, are a Belgian treat that you can buy from street vendors.	COUNTRY Introduction Things To Know Survival Guide TimeLine Essential Info REGION CITIES Brussels Bruges Ghent MAPS World Europe TRAVEL BOOK