EP038 | Who Owns Fries?
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
1 min read
Who Owns Fries? Are they French or Belgian? Do those who first created a food own it? Or does it belong to those that perfected it?
FOOD GROUP
Cuisine in Flanders is as rich and varied as its beer culture.
These are the stories behind some of its most famous personalities and dishes.
This editorially independent content is produced with the support of VISITFLANDERS.
French Fries or Belgian Fries?
The Battle for the Thinly-Cut Deep-Fried Potato
14 min read
How does Belgium’s relationship with fries differ to other countries and why do they claim cultural ownership of these cut, fried potatoes?
EP037 | Belgian Mayonnaise
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
1 min read
The relationship between Belgians and their mayonnaise is tied up in their fanatical “frituur” culture and their special mayonnaise law.
The Long Reign of Belgian Mayonnaise
How Belgium Crowned The King of Sauce
16 min read
Few nations have taken mayonnaise to their hearts like Belgium. But with recent challenges, can they preserve Belgian mayonnaise heritage?
Inside the Mattentaart
The Fate of One Belgian Town And Its Famous Little Cake
23 min read
Mattentaart is a small, sweet cake made from a filling of curdled milk, eggs and sugar, and encased in a golden yellow puff pastry exterior.
EP025 | A New Kind Of Restaurant
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
1 min read
Do restaurants in Belgium put as much focus on their beer list as they do on their wine list? Eoghan Walsh reports from Leuven.
Hop Gastrobar and the Emergence of Bistronomic Beer Cuisine in Leuven
How Beer Chef Bram Verbeken Brought “A New Kind of Restaurant” to Flemish Brabant
24 min read
Hop Gastrobar is the beercentric Leuven restaurant of Bram Verbeken. But does Belgium notice food establishments that take beer seriously?
EP024 | Best Original Cheese
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
1 min read
Peter Boonen of Kaasmakerij Catharinadal set out to make a new blue cheese for his wife. The cheese he created became awards-winning.
The Way to a Woman’s Heart is with Belgian Blue Cheese
Love at Catharinadal and the Emergence of the Grevenbroeker “Achelse Blauwe”
20 min read
An artisanal cheese maker from the Catharinadal cheese factory in Belgium created a new cheese as a romantic gesture for his wife. Just how did it became a world-famous blue cheese that delighted the international cheese community?
EP021 | Family in a Stew
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
1 min read
Stoverij (Flemish Stew) is a traditional meat and onion stew made with Belgian beer. How do you make the most family dish in Belgium?
The Great Flemish Stew Debate (Includes Recipe)
What are the hotly-contested variations of Belgium’s National Dish?
14 min read
Flemish Stew is a meat and onion stew made with Belgian beer. Why is it so popular? And what are the hotly contested recipe variations?
EP018 | “Witloof”—The Curious Case of Belgium’s White Gold
The Belgian Smaak Podcast
2 min read
What are farmers, scientists and researchers doing to ensure Belgium's iconic vegetable—the Belgian endive or "Witloof"—doesn't disappear forever?
The Bitter Fight to Save Belgian Endive from Extinction
Is the Weird and Wonderful “Witloof” Set to Disappear Forever?
29 min read
In the 1970s, the Belgian endive—also known as "Witloof"—accounted for a quarter of all vegetables grown in Belgium. Today, it has almost disappeared. Can it be saved before it's too late?
