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 "manon" type praline by breughel
The production of pralines in Belgium is now in hands of a number of companies who have industrialized the process what does, fortunately, not mean that quality has diminished. These larger companies have oriented their production to the export making of the Belgian pralines a luxury export product of world wide fame. There are also a good number of artisanal workshops.
Belgians consider that brands like Neuhaus, Godiva, Corné are the better ones at least among the big producers (35 - 40 €/kg). Leonidas is somewhat lower in rank but also in price (20 €/kg).
When a Belgian offers pralines, he will buy the better rated ones, but for his own use he might take the Leonidas because the difference in price is wider than the difference in quality.
When offering pralines we usually buy a ballotin (box) of 500 or 750 gr. mixed (assortiment). For our own use we select the types we like most. My favoured praline types, for example, are the "manons".
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 Moules casserole by breughel
The crux of the matter are the mussels. They are breed in the waters of Zeeland (South west of the Netherlands) and the flesh is pale. This type is called "Zeeuwse mosselen".
They are exported to Belgium where they are cooked and eaten in huge quantities during the months from August to end of March.
The Belgian preparation of the "Moules Casserole" is with celery, onions, carrots, parsley, pepper and the (sea) water contained in the mussels.
My wife was not willing to give more details about the preparation. After the "French fries" story she insists on keeping secret our culinary receipts!
Mussels are, of course, eaten with Belgian frites.
To drink we prefer a somewhat acid white wine (never a Chardonnay type wine) such as the Mosel wines. This wine can also be added on cooking.
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 Kasteelbier - my favoured
dark beer 11° by breughel
One point to be noted is that we were anxious in Belgium when started the merger phenomena of many of our breweries ending in a world wide company such as Inbev.
We feared that these mergers would lead to the loss of the variety of our beers.
Fortunately the Belgian owners and the management promoted the special beers so that types which had disappeared from the market were resuscitated and brewed again. In all abbeys there was a search for forgotten receipts of Trappists and others monk's beers so that nowadays there are much more special beers on the market as a half century ago. A lot of small breweries disappeared but their production of special beers was taken over by the big ones.
At the same time there was worldwide promotion of the Belgian beers as well the standard Pills types such as Stella Artois and all the other special blond, amber or dark beers.
One characteristic of Belgian beer: it is not "pipi" like so many beers from elsewhere. Our special beers have alcohol content between 6,5° and 12°. It are gourmet beers, we drink them for the pleasure of the taste not to get drunk.
One more thing, we drink the special beers always in an appropriate glass, never from the bottle.
Figures: In 2006 Belgium produced 18 millions hectolitres of beer of which 55% were exported.
Belgians drank an average of 89 litres per inhabitant. That’s not so much, only 25 cl/day. But that average includes babies!! The crucial question therefore is: do Belgian babies drink beer?
I found a list of more than 600 Belgian beers on www.belgourmet.be/fr/bieres/index.php - 278k
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 Frites at 2nd stage by breughel
There are two possibilities for frying: in ox fat ("blanc de boeuf" "ossewit") or in groundnut ("arachide") oil.
The (white) ox fat is generally used in the shops and restaurants. The oil is often used at home (can be filtered when cold). It is essential to renew frequently the fat or oil in order to avoid the occurrence of carbonised particles and the chemical degradation of the fat or oil by the heating at high temperature.
In Belgium there is a regulation concerning the choice and use of the frying fat.
A two phase process at different temperatures is essential.
A first cooking at a fat or oil temperature of 150°-160 C for some minutes. This first stage takes the water out of the potato, then immersion at a higher temperature of 180-190°C to get the frites crusty.
Is that enough to have good frites? Absolutely not!
Belgian expertise is needed otherwise you have french fries, english chips, american, spanish, italian, greek more or less fried potatoes but no "frites".
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 Zeeuwse mossel by breughel
The large scale production and commercialisation is centred at Yerseke. In 2006 the Dutch mussel producers supplied 30 million kilos to Belgium.
There are more and more complaints in Belgium about the ever increasing prices of the mussels from Holland. It is a fact that the last harvest has been bad, low production and poor quality (more shell than flesh!) but some suspect the Dutch producers of price manipulations.
When I was a kid, mussels were a popular dish, also the poor could afford them. Nowadays mussels are at the same price level as steak!
Other mussels than Dutch have been tried but … they taste different at least in our imagination.
Is it dangerous to eat mussels?
I have never been sick with mussels but I have been with oysters.
The mussels of Zeeland undergo a serious bacteriological control and they are cooked.
Some people eat them raw but dip them in vinaigrette. My grandparents always used to eat the Moules casserole with vinegar, mustard or pickles because it was said that the vinegar would neutralize eventual toxins in the mussels.
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 the BBB by breughel
Beef in Belgium is of the Bleu-Blanc Belge (Belgian Blue) species. There is a large, often industrialized production of these strong animals with a white or blue piebald coat. We have 1.5 million of them!
Specific are the strong muscular buttocks similar to those of heavy horses, they are called "cul de poulain". The bleu-blanc belge produces a high proportion of tender meat; from there its success with the Belgian consumer who wants prime choice cuts of extremely tender, low-fat meat.
Personally I prefer beef which is less tender but has more taste than the bleu-blanc Belge.
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More than frites, mussels or pralines, self-derision seems to be a Belgian specificity.
According to the dictionary self-derision is "laughing at oneself with sarcasm " it is not humour (British) "shape of spirit which consists in presenting the reality so as to show its pleasant and unusual aspects" it is not the "esprit français" which is to the detriment of others.
Our "auto-derision" is also different from self-deprecation; there is a good part of fun in our "auto-derision"
Mind you, all Belgians do not practise self-derision; you will find in Belgium numerous persons whose oversized ego prevents them from any self-derision. In Brussels we call them "dikke nek" or "stoeffer". We also have mentally underdeveloped people unable to laugh at themselves.
With a little luck you will meet Belgians who practise this magnificent virtue of self-derision and I am certain that you will take pleasure in sharing this practice.
A result of self-derision is that in the Belgian political discourse you will not meet patriotic expressions like: "God bless …, God save …, Proud to be …, Nation, Patrie ".
That does not mean that patriotism is not existing; patriotism exists but only when Belgium is invaded. Last time was 67 years ago what explains the very low present level of our patriotism.
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 Frites by breughel
The "frites" (in French) "fritten or frieten" (in Flemish) originate from Belgium. All most serious historical, gastronomical studies agree on this.
By the way, have you ever heard a Frenchman use the term "French fries" "Frites Françaises"? The French, although well known for their chauvinism, recognize that Belgium is the champion of the frites. In France the nickname for Belgians is … "frites"!
"French fries" are fake products, don't buy, don't eat them. They are an infringement of Belgian proprietary rights!
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Plus que les frites, moules ou pralines, l'autodérision semble être une spécificité belge, du moins d'après ceux qui observent ce pays.
D'après le dictionnaire l'autodérision est "le fait de se moquer de soi-même avec sarcasme" ce n'est donc pas de l'humour (britannique) "forme d'esprit qui consiste à présenter la réalité de manière à en dégager les aspect plaisants et insolites" c'est encore moins de l'esprit (français) "vivacité piquante de l'esprit" qui s'exerce au détriment d'autrui.
Attention, tous les belges ne pratiquent pas l'autodérision; vous trouverez en Belgique de nombreuses personnes dont l'ego surdimensionné les écarte de toute autodérision. A Bruxelles nous les appelons des "dikke nek" ou "stoeffer".
Nous avons aussi des sous-développés mentaux incapables de se moquer d'eux-mêmes.
Avec un peu de chance vous rencontrerez des Belges qui pratiquent cette merveilleuse vertu qu'est l'autodérision et je suis certain que vous prendrez plaisir à cette pratique.
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 Chez Léon by breughel
Some years ago I had on business visit an Italian, manager for Europe of an important American industrial company. The assistant of the manager insisted on me taking him out for eating a "moules frites". So I did going at Leon near the Grand-Place. This was the start of a good business.
One might ask why, as mussels are breed in Holland, not to go and eat them there.
I did only once. Please believe me I have no prejudice against Dutch cooking; I just have good or bad experience.
For example I would order a "Moules frites" in the North of France, at Lille for example. They are up to my standards.
I also like the French coast "Moules à la Bordelaise" (in the way of Bordeaux) or Spanish big red mussels; but this is another story.
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