Top 9 culinary specialities in Ghent

Renowned for its beauty and canals, Ghent is a surprising city. The capital of Flanders is as much a place to visit on foot as it is to eat. Its delicacies will leave even the most demanding gourmets speechless. Flemish cuisine is more sought-after than Belgian cuisine in general. When you think of Belgium, the first thing that springs to mind is the traditional mussels and chips and waffles. But Ghent knows how to surprise your palate with a wide range of specialities, from savoury to sweet, not forgetting a dose of beer, a drink that is very much part of the local culture.

1- The Ghent Waterzoi

The Ghent waterzoi is the Flemish dish par excellence. It’s a sort of pot-au-feu made with hazelnut apples, celery, carrots, leeks and chicken, all drowned in a soup with crème fraiche and egg yolk. Chicken can sometimes be replaced by fish. This dish is a favourite with Ghent locals during the winter months.

2- Flemish carbonade

If you’re a meat lover, this dish is sure to delight your palate. Carbonade flamande is prepared by stewing pieces of beef in a pot of onions and local beer. To accompany this dish, there’s nothing better than a good portion of chips cooked in beef fat to give them an extra flavour that’s not at all unpleasant! A Belgian beer is the perfect way to wash down this hearty meal.

3- Paling int groen

Otherwise known as eel in green, this special dish will introduce you to a whole new world of flavours. This purely Flemish dish is made up of freshwater eel and an assortment of green plants that form a sort of soup. These include sorrel, oregano, sage, lemon thyme, lemon balm, savory, parsley, spearmint, salad burnet, nettle, watercress, basil and tarragon. That’s all there is to it. Like many dishes, eel au vert is often served with a plate of chips.

4- Cuberdons

If there’s one delicacy you should try on a Flemish holiday, it’s cuberdons. You can buy cuberdons in the street from a small stand run by a producer, or directly from the confectioner. This cone-shaped sweet is made by mixing liquid sugar, acacia resin, gelatine and flavourings. The original cuberdon is raspberry. But the popularity of this sweet has given rise to a multitude of flavours. There are now around forty different flavours. So you’re bound to find something to suit your taste, or rather your palate…

5- Snowballs

Belgians are not bad when it comes to designing sweets, and snowballs are proof of that. These little sweets are made with vanilla coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate and sprinkled with icing sugar.

6- mastelles

Mastelles are a popular breakfast treat. They are small, flat, sweet buns with a pronounced cinnamon flavour. This delicacy has been around for centuries. Some people even took them to mass to have them blessed! Legend has it that blessed mastelles were an excellent remedy for rabies. Well, until there’s proof to the contrary, it’s hard to believe, but the anecdote is no less amusing.

7- ganda ham

And no, it’s not just the Basque Country, Italy and Spain that produce top-quality ham. Our Belgian neighbours have nothing to envy us with their ganda ham or, more simply, jambon ganda. The name ‘ganda’ comes from the Celtic name for the city of Ghent. This salted ham is made from the finest pork. It is then well salted and dried for a long period of 10 months to give it that succulent taste.

8- Gruut

An exhaustive list of Belgian specialities without a beer would be astonishing, to say the least! Belgians are avowed beer drinkers and this is deeply rooted in their culture. In the Flemish region, Gruut is the local beer par excellence. It comes in several varieties. White, lager, amber or brown, Gruut is the perfect accompaniment to any meal or aperitif!

9- The roomer

Once you’ve had your fill, are you looking to digest a little? The roomer will take care of all that. It’s a 100% natural drink made from elderflower and spices, the secret of which is still closely guarded. It can be drunk on its own or in cocktails like vodka or tonic.