The Best Sweet Treats In Belgium

One of the best parts about travelling is trying the local food of the areas you visit. If you’re heading to Belgium on a short break, you’ll no doubt be looking forward to sampling Belgian beer, Flemish stew and of course, the famous chocolates. Belgium is known for its sweet treats but it offers so much more than chocolate and waffles, delicious though they are. Read on to discover our top ten sweet treats in Belgium and get them on your culinary hit list.

1. Meringues

Aux Merveilleux de Fred confectionary and patisserie certainly lives up to its name. The sumptuous interior complete with glittering chandeliers and polishes marble floors complements the divine offerings. Their range of soft, fluffy meringues with different toppings are to die for. You can always pop in for a café au lait and croissant too. They have cafes in Bruges, Brussels, Ghent and other Belgian cities and we bet you’ll be back if you’re staying a few days. It’s too tempting not to!

2. Hand shaped biscuits

If you’re visiting Antwerp, look out for hand shaped biscuits which can be found in bakeries and cafes across the city. Based on the legend of giant Druon Antigoon, they represent the hands of the captains of ships who couldn’t pay him their toll. He would bite their hands off and throw them into the river. He was eventually defeated by a hero named Brabo who threw the giant’s right hand into the river in a symbolic gesture. This legend is why the city is named Antwerpen, which sounds like hand werpen. This literally means ‘hand-throwing.’

A favourite of Antwerp residents and tourists alike, these delicious biscuits honour its folklore and are a perfect pick me up with a cup of coffee.

3. Cuberdon

If you fancy something different to cakes or chocolate, Cuberdons offer a sugar boost in the form of soft jelly sweets in a selection of fruit flavours. Their cone shape has earned them some alternative names.  In Flanders they are called Neuzekes, which means ‘little noses’ and in Wallonia they are called Chapeau-de-prêtre, meaning ‘a priests’ hat.’

They are recognised as an official, regional product of Ghent and are well loved by locals.

4. Waffles

A visit to Belgium wouldn’t be complete without sampling some Belgian waffles. The classic cross-hatched doughy sweets are perfect with a dusting of sugar or cinnamon. Or go all out with toppings of fruit, chocolate, whipped cream and marshmallows, just some of many toppings available on waffles across Belgium. Some of the best can be found at kiosks in the middle of the city, just make sure your hair is tied back – trying to eat a waffle on a windy day with long hair is a challenge!

5. Speculaas

Speculaas are well-loved, spiced biscuits popular in Belgium and the Netherlands. Made with cinnamon, white pepper, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves, these biscuits are traditionally eaten during Saint Nicholas Day.

Saint Nicholas, also known as Sinterklaas, visits households on the eve of December 5^th, leaving sweets, presents and even poems for well-behaved children. As well as clementines and chocolates, he always leaves speculaas for children to enjoy with a glass of milk on the morning of December 6^th.

6. Mattentaart

Mattentaarten are small, sweet puff pastry cakes with a light filling of mattenbrij or curd cheese. They are a speciality of the city of Geraardsbergen in the Flemish Ardennes and have even been granted Protected Geographical Indication by the European Union in 2006, meaning they can only be made in the city or the nearby municipality of Lierde. This means you will have to travel there to try them, but believe us, it’s worth the trip!

7. Chocolate

Belgium and chocolate go hand in hand. Try truffles, pralines, bars or visit a traditional Flemish café and indulge in some hot chocolate, made with warm milk and handfuls of Belgian chocolate buttons melted and stirred through. Delicious!

For beautiful, handmade chocolates, check out Chocolatier Dumon in Bruges, for chocolates which look too good to eat, visit haute chocolaterie, Pierre Marcolini and for chocolates approved by royalty, Mary Chocolatier in Brussels has been going for 100 years and helped introduce Belgian chocolate to the world.

8. Appelflap

Appelflap is the Belgian take on an apple pie. The perfect sweet treat to have with a hot coffee, appelflappen are sugar sprinkled puff pastries stuffed with apple, cinnamon, raisins and currants. When baked, the apple becomes a sweet, gooey delight and will be sure to warm you up on a pit stop on your winter break.

9. Stofé

Stofé is a sweet cheesecake originating from the city of Wavre in Belgium’s French Wallonian region. Cottage cheese is blended with meringue and sweet and bitter almonds then poured over a bed of apples, before being baked giving it a unique, autumnal flavour.

The city of Jodoigne, close by, has a similar cheesecake, blanke doréye, which is more like a soufflé and uses vanilla instead of almonds. Both cheesecakes rely on good quality cottage cheese to create their unique taste.

10. Babelutte

These small toffees are now an iconic symbol of Belgian confectionery. Their name derives from the Dutch words babbelen and uit meaning ‘chatting’ and ‘stop’ – suggesting that once you pop one of these toffees into your mouth you won’t be able to talk.

They were first produced in the 19^th century by Rosalie Desmedt and have endured in popularity ever since. They were so loved that Rosalie was dubbed Mother Babelutte. The name stuck and now babelutten are sold in Moeder Babelutte shops across Belgium. They are instantly recognisable for their blue and white packaging.

Book your trip to Belgium now to sample these sweet treats and more!