Typical Belgium
Illuminated highways
In Belgium the motorways are illuminated at night. It is much brighter and also much more pleasant to drive on the road. The lighting was also introduced for safety reasons. Today there is a discussion about whether it really makes sense for environmental reasons to leave lights on all night, and there is criticism of this typical Belgian practice, especially from environmentalists.
Comics in Belgium
Belgian comics and their heroes are world famous. Maybe you don’t even know that Tintin, Lucky Luke or Gaston Lagaffe come from Belgium. At least they were invented there before they captured the hearts of many children, but also adults around the world. There are also a lot of shops in Belgium where you can buy comics. And here you will not only find children, but lots of adults of different ages. Belgium even has its own museum dedicated to comics.
Belgian beer
Even if you can’t and shouldn’t drink beer yet, you should know that there are more than 1000 different types of beer in Belgium. Belgium is a location for many breweries. Incidentally, Belgian beer is stronger than German beer and is often drunk at room temperature. Unimaginable for us: warm beer. The beer is also available in many different flavors.
Eating in Belgium
Belgian chocolates
Did you know that Belgium is especially famous for delicious chocolate? For chocolate in praline form. If you stroll through Belgium’s capital, Brussels, you will find endless chocolate shops. The production of pralines has a long tradition in Belgium. Belgian pralines are some of the best pralines in the world. Also see capitals of other European countries, visit COUNTRYAAH.
Incidentally, Belgian pralines can also be easily made yourself. You mix different types of chocolate – depending on your favorite – with each other, heat the chocolate and then put the liquid chocolate in a special mold. At the end, you rub it over it with a spatula so that the pralines are nice and smooth. If the chocolate is solid, it is peeled from its praline mold like ice cubes. Incidentally, it is not only chocolate that belongs in pralines, nuts or nougat or truffles, for example, are also allowed. With almonds or biscuits, pralines can be just as imaginative and varied.
Waffles and fries
The Belgian waffles are a popular specialty. Belgians are famous for their sweets. In addition to the waffles, there is also a very special spread made from apples, pears and dates.
And the favorite food of all children can be found all over Belgium: French fries. It is typical to deep-fry them in hot beef fat. But that’s not for vegetarians. In Belgium there is a snack bar on almost every corner that offers French fries and there is not just ketchup to go with it, there are usually over 15 sauces to choose from. Belgians also like to eat French fries with mussels. Incidentally, an American burger group in Belgium has a hard time asserting itself, as you will find a deep-frying room for fries on every corner.
Belgian sauces and a machine gun?!
The sauces that are served with the fries are varied in Belgium. They range from tartar sauce with garlic to Andalouse, Brazil or Samurei sauce to Bernaise sauce or simple hunter sauce.
A specialty is the Belgian mitraillette – that is, machine gun – but fortunately has nothing to do with weapons. Could only pass as a calorie bomb. The basis is a baguette that is sliced but not cut through. In the middle are meat and french fries, possibly cheese and salad, plus one of the popular sauces. Depending on the variety, you can eat it hot or cold.
Belgians also love potatoes in the form of chips, which are much more diverse in Belgium than here.
Flemish cuisine
Waffles, chocolates and french fries are available in all regions of Belgium. Otherwise the cuisine can be divided into the cuisine of Flanders, the Walloon cuisine and the more German cuisine. It is typical for Flanders that there is a lot of fish in addition to meat. Plaice, sole and shrimp are fished on site and other types of fish come from the North Sea. Mussels also like to come from France.
Beef, pork, horse, rabbit and chicken are also on the menu and are often used in the popular Belgian beer. Fruit and vegetables are grown in Flanders, but not so much eaten in the country itself. In Flanders, the opinion is that vegetables and fruits are more intended for the diet of goats. Asparagus and chicory are popular, however.
Popular dishes are Hutsepot, a stew with various types of meat and vegetables, Mosselen met frietjes, the well-known mussels with French fries, or Pens, which is black sausage or white sausage, served with apple compote or mashed potatoes. Children then prefer Rijstpap. This is rice pudding that is refined with vanilla, and raisins are also popular.
Walloon cuisine
Walloon cuisine is heavily influenced by French cuisine. Typical dishes are rabbit stewed in beer and chicken fricassee with puff pastry. The salad Salade Liègeoise was named after the Belgian city of Liege. Moules fries, i.e. chips with mussels, are also very popular here. By the way, after dinner there is also cheese.
