Belgium Cuisine Tourism

Belgium Cuisine Tourism

Belgium is famous for beer, chocolate, waffles and French fries. The national dishes are steak and fries, and mussels with fries. Many highly ranked Belgian restaurants can be found in the most influential restaurant guides, such as the Michelin Guide. One of the many beers with the high prestige is that of the Trappist monks. Technically, it is an ale and traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the forms, heights and widths are different). There are only eleven breweries (six of them are Belgian) that are allowed to brew Trappist beer.

Although Belgian gastronomy is connected to French cuisine, some recipes were reputedly invented there, such as French fries (despite the name, although their exact place of origin is uncertain), Flemish Carbonade (a beef stew with beer, mustard and bay laurel), speculaas (or speculoos in French, a sort of cinnamon and ginger-flavoured shortcrust biscuit), Brussels waffles (and their variant, Liège waffles), waterzooi (a broth made with chicken or fish, cream and vegetables), endive with bechamel sauce, Brussels sprouts, Belgian pralines (Belgium has some of the most renowned chocolate houses), charcuterie (deli meats) and Paling in 't groen (river eels in a sauce of green herbs).

Brands of Belgian chocolate and pralines, like Côte d'Or, Neuhaus, Leonidas and Godiva are famous, as well as independent producers such as Burie and Del Rey in Antwerp and Mary's in Brussels. Belgium produces over 1100 varieties of beer. The Trappist beer of the Abbey of Westvleteren has repeatedly been rated the world's best beer.

The biggest brewer in the world by volume is Anheuser-Busch InBev, based in Leuven

Belgium Tourism Overview

Belgium Tourism Capital: City of Brussels
Belgium Tourism Coordinates: 50°51′N 4°21′E
Belgium Tourism Largest City: Brussels-Capital Region
Belgium Tourism Official Languages:
Dutch, French, German
Belgium Tourism Ethnic Groups (2024):
64.8% Belgians
35.2% other
Belgium Tourism Religions (2021):
49% Christianity
44% Catholicism
5% other Christian
40% no religion
7% Islam
3% other
Belgium Tourism Demonym(s): Belgian
Belgium Tourism Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Belgium Tourism Monarch: Philippe
Belgium Tourism Prime Minister: Alexander De Croo
Belgium Tourism Legislature: Federal Parliament
Belgium Tourism Upper House: Senate
Belgium Tourism Lower House: Chamber of Representatives
Independence from the Holy Roman Empire and Netherlands:
Declared: 4 October 1830
Recognized: 19 April 1839
Federal State: 1970
Belgium Tourism Area Total: 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) (136th)
Belgium Tourism Water (%): 0.64 (2022)
Belgium Tourism Population: 2024 census Neutral increase 11,763,650
Belgium Tourism Density: 383/km2 (992.0/sq mi) (22nd)
GDP (PPP) 2024 estimate
Belgium Tourism Belgium Tourism Total: Increase $803.166 billion (37th)
Belgium Tourism Per Capita: Increase $68,079 (20th)
GDP (nominal) 2024 estimate Total: Increase $655.192 billion (23rd)
Per capita Increase $55,536 (16th)
Belgium Tourism Gini (2022): Negative increase 24.9
low inequality
Belgium Tourism HDI (2022): Increase 0.942 very high (12th)
Belgium Tourism Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
Belgium Tourism Time Zone: UTC+1 (CET)
Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Belgium Tourism Drives: on right
Belgium Tourism Calling Code: +32
Belgium Tourism ISO 3166 code: BE
Belgium Tourism Internet TLD: .be and .eu