Belgium
Brazil
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
French Guiana
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Germany
AustriaBelgium
Croatia
Denmark
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
Poland
Portugal
the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
the United States
Mexico
the Dominican Republic
South Africa
Australia
FijiIllustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Flavors · Flandres Oriental
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.
Traditional sweet from Flandres Oriental
Also known as: Geraardsbergse mattentaarten, mattentaart, tarte à maton
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Geraardsbergse mattentaart — Flandres Oriental, Belgium
The mattentaart is a round puff-pastry tart with a creamy filling and a crunchy crown on top. The name comes from the main ingredient, the matten: curdled and drained raw cow's milk. The filling contains matten, eggs and sugar, and the flavor varies slightly from baker to baker, with more or less vanilla or almond aroma.
The tart was born as a way to use up curd in a time without refrigeration, when preserving milk was difficult. A troubadour song from the 13th century already mentions matten, and the first known recipe appears in a 16th-century cookbook. In 1665 Geraardsbergen set quality rules for selling the tart in the town, and in 1752 Empress Maria Theresa of Austria confirmed those rules.
Until the end of the 19th century, the mattentaart was made at home and on farms; later it moved to bakeries. In 1978 the Geraardsbergse mattentaart brotherhood was founded, and in 2007 the European Union protected the name: only bakers from Geraardsbergen and Lierde may make it, using matten and specified ingredients. Unbaked tarts can be frozen and baked elsewhere.
The matten are also recognized as a Flemish regional product. The tart is part of Flanders' intangible heritage and remains present in the town's everyday life.
Geraardsbergen is located in the southern part of East Flanders province, on the banks of the Dender river. The mattentaart is found in the town's bakeries and is eaten as a coffee treat.
Flandres Oriental
Specialty of Geraardsbergen and Lierde, in the province of East Flanders, with a European geographical indication.
Puff pastry; filling of matten (curdled and drained raw cow's milk), eggs and sugar; depending on the baker, vanilla or almond aroma.
At room temperature, whole, as a coffee treat or dessert.
Your questions
They are curdled and drained raw cow's milk, a kind of fresh curd. It is the main ingredient of the mattentaart filling.
Because it is a recipe tied to Geraardsbergen for centuries, with quality rules since 1665. The European Union protects the name, and only bakers from Geraardsbergen and Lierde may make it.
In the southern part of East Flanders province, on the banks of the Dender river, in the Flemish region of Belgium.
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.
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.
