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Flavors · Liège
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.
Traditional sweet from Liège, Liège
Also known as: Luikse wafel, gaufre liégeoise
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Gaufre de Liège — Liège, Belgium
The Liège waffle is made with a thick, fermented dough similar to brioche, rich in butter. The secret is the pearl sugar—clusters of beet sugar that don’t melt completely: on the griddle they caramelize on the outside and leave the waffle crisp on the surface and soft inside. The shape is rounded, without corners, and the traditional mold has 24 pockets.
Tradition links the sweet to the prince-bishop of Liège. According to the city’s legend, in the 18th century he asked his cook for something sweet and tasty, and the cook tried baking a kind of brioche with pieces of sugar in the dough. Early versions reportedly included cinnamon; pearl sugar entered the recipe between the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In Liège, a brotherhood defends the recipe, and the city’s tourism promotion highlights the shops that hold the authentic gaufre de Liège seal. The waffle is also the subject of contests and tastings during the city’s festivals.
It is different from the Brussels waffle, light and rectangular, which typically takes toppings. The Liège waffle is sweet enough on its own and is eaten plain. Because it is compact and reheats well, it spread throughout Belgium: sold at street stalls, bakeries and even supermarkets.
On the street it’s wrapped in paper, hot or reheated, and eaten with the hands at any time of day.
Liège, Liège
Tradition links the creation to the prince-bishop of Liège’s cook, and the city’s tourism promotion highlights shops with the authentic gaufre de Liège seal.
Wheat flour, butter, eggs, milk, yeast, pearl sugar and, in some recipes, cinnamon or vanilla.
Hot or reheated, eaten with the hands, often wrapped in paper. The caramelized sugar already sweetens it; no topping is needed.
Year-round, as a snack or street sweet.
Your questions
Because of the pearl sugar: clusters of beet sugar that caramelize on the griddle and form a sweet crust around the soft dough.
No. It’s already sweet and is eaten plain, hot, often on the street, wrapped in paper.
The Liège waffle is rounded, dense and sweet, made from a brioche-like dough with pearl sugar. The Brussels waffle is rectangular, light and less sweet, and usually served with toppings.
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.
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.
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.
