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Flavors · Dinant
Very hard biscuit, made only of honey and wheat flour, pressed in wooden molds carved with animals, figures and views of the city. A tradition of Dinant, in the Meuse valley, it should be softened in the mouth, not bitten.
Traditional sweet from Dinant, Namur
Also known as: couques de Dinant
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Couque de Dinant — Dinant, Belgium
The couque de Dinant has only two ingredients: honey and wheat flour. The dough is very firm and is pressed into wooden molds of beech, walnut or pear, hand-carved, which leave relief designs on the surface: animals, figures, views of Dinant. It is then baked in a very hot oven until it takes on a caramel color.
When cooled, the couque hardens and can be kept for a long time. That is why the advice from the pastry makers themselves is not to bite it: the custom is to break it into small pieces and let it soften in the mouth.
The origin is unknown. A legend, which the sources themselves call fanciful, says the biscuit was born in 1466 during the siege of Dinant by Charles the Bold: without food, the inhabitants allegedly only had honey and flour, and with them they made a dough to bake. In Dinant there are pastry-making families who have been making couques since the 19th century.
The couque de Rins is the softer variant. It is named after François Rins, a Dinant pastry chef who added sugar to the honey-and-flour dough. The name has no relation to the French city of Reims, a common mistake.
The couques, with their designs, are a traditional souvenir of Dinant, sold in the town’s patisseries, at the foot of the collegiate church and the citadel.
Dinant, Namur
Traditional biscuit of Dinant, made by the town’s pastry chefs and promoted by Ardennes tourism as its specialty.
Honey and wheat flour. The couque de Rins also includes sugar.
In small pieces, letting it soften in the mouth: the couque is too hard to bite. It can accompany coffee. Those who prefer something softer choose the couque de Rins.
Your questions
It is a very hard biscuit made of honey and wheat flour, pressed into carved wooden molds with relief designs. It is Dinant’s traditional specialty.
The honey-and-flour dough is very firm and is baked in a very hot oven; on cooling it hardens. The custom is to break it into small pieces and let it soften in the mouth.
The couque de Rins contains sugar in addition to honey and flour, and is therefore softer. The name comes from François Rins, a Dinant pastry chef, and not from the French city of Reims.
Flavors of Belgium
Buttery cookie with almond slices, or a chocolate bonbon shaped like a hand. It recalls the legend of the hero Brabo and the giant Antigoon, which explains the name Antwerpen, and has been a city specialty since 1934.
Round tartlet from Lier, in the province of Antwerp, with a crunchy sugar-free pastry and a dark filling of breadcrumbs, cane sugar syrup and spices. The name is protected by a European geographical indication.
Savory pie from Nivelles, in Walloon Brabant, made with fermented fresh cheese, chard, eggs and plenty of butter, served very hot. A local brotherhood evaluates producers and awards quality seals every year.
Rectangular waffle, light and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, served dusted with confectioners' sugar. It is the first specialty presented by Brussels official tourism and appears in Flemish paintings related to festive celebrations.
Small tart of puff pastry filled with matten, the curd of raw cow's milk, eggs and sugar. It is made in Geraardsbergen and Lierde, in the province of East Flanders, and has a protected geographical indication by the European Union.
Creamy stew from Ghent, with a broth thickened with cream, vegetables such as carrot, leek and celery, potato and chicken. The earliest versions were made with river fish, and fish still appears in some kitchens of the city.
Cooked fish, served cold in a vinegar jelly with onion, traditionally in a stoneware jar. It has a European geographical indication, produced in Chimay and in neighboring municipalities of the provinces of Hainaut and Namur.
Cereal distillate flavored with juniper and herbs, milder and sweeter than other jenever. It has a European geographical indication: it must be distilled in Hasselt, Zonhoven or Diepenbeek. The city maintains a museum of the drink in a former distillery.
Dense waffle, made from a brioche-like dough with pieces of pearl sugar that caramelize on the griddle. Rounded and without corners, it is eaten hot and without topping. According to tradition, it was created in Liège in the 18th century.
Open tart of creamy rice pudding on a thin crust, typical of Verviers in the province of Liège. Eaten warm or cold, at any time of day, often with coffee.
Round tart of thin fermented dough with a generous filling of fruit, rice pudding or cream. It is made in Belgian Limburg and Dutch Limburg, and the name is protected by a European geographical indication.
Croquette of creamy sauce with North Sea grey shrimp, breaded and fried, served with fried parsley and lemon. The Ostend version is recognized as a Flemish regional product, with rules about the shrimp’s origin and the filling.
Rabbit slowly cooked with onion, black plum and raisins, served with potato. It is the dish of the Lundi perdu dinner, the Monday after Epiphany, a Tournai tradition recognized as intangible heritage by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
