Waterzooï ("boiling water" in Flemish) is a dish originating from Ghent. Close to the French blanquette, the waterzooï is a chicken dish cooked in a vegetable broth (celery stalks, leeks, onions, carrots, etc.) linked to fresh cream. It can be cooked and served as a soup or drained with a thickened sauce accompanied by potatoes or rice. Equally famous in the country, fish waterzooi is a popular variation of the recipe. Just replace the chicken pieces with the firm white fish of your choice, and you've got two Belgian culinary specialties in one.
Cousin of our dear national beef bourguignon, carbonnade flamande is a typical dish of Belgium but also of northern France. It is also one of the great classics of Belgian cuisine. Carbonnade Flemish is a beef stew with beer, as the traditional recipe requires, but it can also be cooked with pork or horse. The meat is cut into small pieces, seared then left to simmer in a mixture of dark beer, carrots, smoked bacon, onions and herbs. Some add honey or brown sugar to the beer sauce to add a sweet sweetness to the meat. This Belgian culinary specialty is mainly served with fries.
Stoemp is a Belgian culinary specialty that you will find in all the brasseries in Brussels and across the country. This is a simple popular dish consisting of mashed potatoes with one or more kinds of vegetables (carrots, Brussels sprouts, spinach, sorrel, leeks, etc.). In general, it accompanies blood sausage, grilled slices of bacon, pork chops or country sausages, but it can be found just as well on plates alongside fish such as cod. Often compared to French hotpot, however, stoemp is prepared differently. You must first sauté the onions in butter, add the potatoes then the cut vegetables then cook everything in a simmer, adding water if necessary.
