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Flavors · Hainaut
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.
Traditional dish from Hainaut
Also known as: escavèche
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Escavèche de Chimay — Hainaut, Belgium
Escavèche is cooked fish preserved in a vinegar jelly with onion. It is eaten cold, taken from the jar, and the taste is tart and distinctive: local sources themselves say it is a dish people either like or do not. Escavèche de Chimay is sold in jars, and the traditional container is a stoneware jar.
In the past, escavèche was made with eel. Over time it came to include other fish, such as pike, trout and river fish from the region, and some producers use the lesser-spotted dogfish, a small shark from the North Sea.
Producers attribute the recipe to the Spanish period, between the 16th and 18th centuries, when the technique of preserving fish in vinegar supposedly reached the region. Historians have found many references to escavèche in the south of Hainaut and Namur, where the tradition continued.
The European Union protects the name Escavèche de Chimay as a geographical indication. The production area includes Chimay, Momignies, Froidchapelle and Sivry-Rance in Hainaut, and Cerfontaine, Couvin, Doische, Philippeville and Viroinval in Namur. In Chimay it is seen as the city's third product, alongside the beer and the cheese.
Escavèche is served cold, as a light main course, accompanied by potatoes. It appears on menus in the Chimay region and the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse area.
Hainaut
The name and core of the tradition come from Chimay, in Hainaut; the geographical indication also covers neighboring municipalities in the province of Namur.
Fish (formerly eel; today pike, trout, other river fish or lesser-spotted dogfish), vinegar, onion and jelly, with herbs and spices according to the producer.
Cold, taken from the jar, with the vinegar and onion jelly, accompanied by potatoes.
Your questions
It is cooked fish preserved in a vinegar jelly with onion, served cold. Escavèche de Chimay has a European geographical indication.
Cold, taken from the jar, with the vinegar and onion jelly, generally served with potatoes.
In Chimay and in neighboring municipalities in the southern parts of the provinces of Hainaut and Namur, such as Momignies, Couvin and Viroinval.
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.
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.
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.
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.
