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Flavors · Liège
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.
Traditional sweet from Liège
Also known as: tarte au riz de Verviers, rijsttaart
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Tarte au riz — Liège, Belgium
The tarte au riz is an open tart: a thin, leavened crust topped with a thick layer of rice pudding. The rice, short-grain, is cooked slowly in milk with sugar and cinnamon or vanilla; eggs are then added and it is baked on the crust until browned on top.
Verviers, the former wool town in the province of Liège, is the center of this tradition. One common explanation links the tart to the rich milk of the nearby Herve plateau and to eggs from local farms; another says rice reached the town via wool trade routes.
In the most traditional recipe, the milk is cooked in a bain-marie for hours until the rice becomes very creamy. A local brotherhood, the Seigneurie de la Vervi-Riz, champions the specialty and belongs to the union of gastronomic brotherhoods of the province of Liège.
Rice tarts also exist in Flanders and the Netherlands, but it is in Verviers and the surrounding area that the tarte au riz became a symbol. Bakeries in the region sell it whole or by the slice.
It’s eaten at any time of day, warm or cold, in slices, and pairs well with a cup of coffee.
Liège
Specialty of Verviers, a town in the province of Liège, with its own brotherhood.
Thin leavened pastry (wheat flour, milk, yeast, butter, sugar and salt); filling of short-grain rice cooked in milk with sugar and cinnamon or vanilla, eggs and yolks.
In slices, warm or cold, at any time of day, preferably with coffee.
Your questions
It’s an open tart with a thin crust topped by creamy rice pudding cooked in milk with sugar and cinnamon or vanilla. It is the specialty of Verviers, in the province of Liège.
The most cited explanation is the rich milk from the Herve plateau near the town and the arrival of rice via the wool trade, the basis of Verviers’ economy. A local brotherhood defends the recipe.
Both ways: warm or cold, in slices, at any time of day, often with coffee.
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.
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.
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.
