Food Porn Nation

Long time no post! I apologise for the radio silence. I have been crazy busy with relocating to London and planning my trip around Asia, Europe and US. Now that that things have settled down, you should be hearing more from me again, particularly from the likes of London ☺

My first stop in Europe is Belgium and all I want is a waffle. It’s been a dream of mine to eat a Belgian waffle in Belgium. Do you also have these types of foodie fantasies that need living out?

I am told it is best to buy them from the mobile waffle van because these are guaranteed to be fresh. The waffle vans prepare an exact amount of waffle batter for that day and they cook these to order. Some places prepare the waffles where they reheat these to order and in my opinion you can’t beat a fresh waffle. You have to get in quick though because once the vans sell out, they’re out! In Bruges, I found the mobile waffle van in front of city hall. I order my waffle with Belgian chocolate and strawberries. All waffles come with a Belgium flag. Cute! One bite and I am in love. I am going to have a waffle everyday. That’s a total of 4 days and 4 waffles. Yeah!

I discovered during my time that there are actually two types of waffles you can find in Belgium and not just the one. There’s the Liege waffle and the Belgian/Brussels waffle both with their own distinctive characteristics.

Liege waffle with Nutella

The Liege waffle – (my favourite waffle when slathered in Nutella) is typified by its thick, chewy, dense texture. The batter is so thick it is like looks like a mound of dough. The end result is rounder in shape. I think this has a lot to do with the machine not being able to push the ‘actual’ dough to the edges of the waffle maker. The most distinctive feature are the drops of sugar balls (pearl sugar) that give it a caramelised crunchy edge when you bite into it. It is the heat of the waffle iron plates that give that caramel-ly sugar crust, which contrasts deliciously with the thick chewy batter. Also, the caramel edges also help it stick to the flimsy little paper plate because as it cools down it hardens and clings to the paper plate.

Photo courtesy of cookeatshare.com

Belgian/Brussels waffle – The Belgian waffle does not exist in anywhere in Belgium. It is only called this, from what I am told is because the Americans didn’t know where Brussels was. Funny! Traditionally it is actually called the Brussels waffle. The texture is lighter and crispier than the Liege waffle that when you bite into it there is noticeably crispy exterior against a fluffy light interior. This all comes down to the light batter mixture. The shape is perfectly rectangular and not as sweet as the Liege waffle. Its appearance is a lot smoother finish with deeper pockets. There you have it, Belgian waffles decoded.

Which waffle do you prefer?