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Flavors · Bruxelas
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.
Traditional sweet from Bruxelas, Bruxelas
Also known as: Brusselse wafel, gaufre bruxelloise
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Gaufre de Bruxelles — Bruxelas, Belgium
The gaufre de Bruxelles is a rectangular waffle, with straight edges and deep pockets, usually with 20 to 24 cavities. The batter is liquid and becomes light thanks to egg whites beaten to stiff peaks and, in many recipes, yeast. It comes off the iron crispy on the outside and soft inside, with little sugar in the batter: it serves as a base for toppings.
Waffles are old in the region. They appear in Bruegel paintings from the 16th century and in the canvas The King Drinks by Jacob Jordaens, which is in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, where the waffle is part of the Epiphany celebration. For centuries it was a festive sweet, associated mainly with carnival.
The name gaufres de Bruxelles appears in writing in the mid-19th century, on the card of a confectioner who had worked in Brussels and opened a shop in Ghent. Ghent also claims the invention, attributed to a confectioner from the city who allegedly presented the waffle at a fair in 1856, and the oldest known written recipe, from 1874, used beaten egg whites instead of yeast. The exact origin is disputed; the name and tradition became linked to the capital.
It is different from the Liège waffle, the other major Belgian waffle. The Brussels one is light, rectangular and not very sweet; the Liège one is round, dense and full of caramelized sugar. That is why the Brussels waffle often comes with toppings, while the Liège does not need them.
In Brussels, the waffle is eaten at any time: seated in a tea room with fork and knife, or on the street with the hands. The classic way is just with confectioners' sugar. Chantilly, fresh fruit and melted chocolate are common additions, especially on the busiest streets downtown.
Bruxelas, Bruxelas
The waffle bears the city's name and is the first specialty presented by Brussels official tourism.
Wheat flour, milk, eggs (with the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks), butter, salt and, in many recipes, baker's yeast. On top, confectioners' sugar.
Hot, right after it comes off the iron. The traditional way is just with confectioners' sugar; chantilly, fresh fruit and melted chocolate are common additions. It is eaten at a table with fork and knife, or with the hands on the street.
All year round, at any time. Historically, a festive sweet associated with carnival and Epiphany.
Your questions
The Brussels one is rectangular, light and crispy, made from a liquid batter with beaten egg whites and little sugar, and usually has toppings. The Liège one is round and dense, made from a brioche-like dough with pearl sugar, and is eaten without toppings.
Hot, with confectioners' sugar, which is the traditional way. It is also common with chantilly, fruit or chocolate. It can be eaten seated in a tea room or on the street with the hands.
It is not known for sure. The name appears in writing in the mid-19th century on the card of a confectioner in Ghent, and Ghent also claims the invention. The name and the tradition, however, became linked to Brussels.
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.
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.
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.
