Maybe it would not be as appreciated and recognized worldwide as its french neighbor, but the walloon gastronomy has a long tradition and faithfully reflects the historical and cultural richness that surrounds this region of old Europe. Even though it is a little unknown for most of the public, some of its traditional dishes would delight the most discerning palates.

The cuisine of Wallonia is characterized by its use of abundant, high-quality local raw materials and ingredients, as this is a predominantly agricultural and livestock-raising region. Beer, one of the star products of the belgian gastronomy, is present in some of its recipes, and walloons often pair many of their dishes with local craft beers.

In this full menu we will review some of the most famous delicacies of the walloon cuisine, including beer pairing suggestions to round out the gastronomic experience. Bon appetit!

Whetting the appetite: starters

Most of the tourists do not leave Belgium without tasting one of its most famous dishes: french fries, or as they are known by the belgians, frites. This simple meal can be found everywhere in the country, either as a side dish or served in cones with a myriad of sauces. The origin of this food is unclear, although some historians place it in the 18th century in Namur. A particularly cold winter froze the Meuse river as it passed through the city, making fishing impossible. The solution? The namurois cut potatoes into fish shapes and double-cooked them in oil, achieving a tender interior and a crispy outer layer that reminded them of fried fish.

A good pairing option with this classic aperitif would be a smooth blonde ale, such as Jambes en l'air from the local brewery Brasserie Houppe, with a light malty taste as well as citrus and herbal notes from the hops, which pair well with the salty, fatty flavor of the frites. Although if served with a spicy sauce, it would also be interesting to opt for the Baden Skiffle from the same brewery, in which the american hops provide bitterness, fruity and tropical notes, ideal for pairing with spicy flavors.

In addition to visiting the impressive Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude, another of Nivelles' attractions is its unique tarte al d’jote. This savory, quiche-like pastry has been made since the 13th century in this Walloon Brabant town, using chard, eggs, butter, and a generous amount of fermented cow's milk cheese (bétchéye). It is a dish so deeply rooted in the local culture that there is even a brotherhood dedicated to preserving the tarte's legacy and annually awarding prizes to the best creations in Nivelles.

Cheese is the true protagonist of this dish's flavor, and it is also one of the foods that offers the greatest variety of pairings with beer. Among the various possible options, this time we will choose to pair the tarte with a Cheval Godet Triple, a belgian tripel beer brewed in Nivelles by Belgo Sapiens, using three types of malt and four hop varieties including Polaris, a signature hop of this brewery. Its warm, vegetal and spicy flavors would pair perfectly with the cow's milk cheese used in this local specialty.

The Ardennes region is home to hills covered in lush forests and valleys filled with rivers like the Meuse and its tributaries. But this region, so steeped in nature and history, also boasts a gastronomic treasure appreciated by gourmets. The natural and climatic conditions of the area are ideal for the production of the jambon d’Ardenne, recognized as a Protected Geographical Indication by the European Union in 1996. To preserve its prestige and quality, a 1974 Belgian Royal Decree stipulates that this dry-cured ham must be salted, matured and smoked in the region itself, following the traditional methods and technical know-how of the Ardennes region.

While cured meats and sausages are often paired with a glass of wine, a good beer can create an even more interesting gastronomic combination, providing nuances complementary to those of the pork meat. An ideal pairing for this ham would be a light yet flavorful and complex beer, such as Ambrée from Microbrasserie des Ardennes, a local amber lager with soft toasted and caramel notes that pairs well with the smoky, cured flavor of jambon d’Ardenne, inviting you to take another sip and another bite.

Without leaving aside pork, another of the typical dishes of Wallonia that includes meat from this animal and that also has a Protected Geographical Indication is the famous pâté gaumais. This is a pastry filled with chunks of pork marinated in wine or vinegar and seasoned with various herbs and spices, that can be eaten hot or cold. Today there are only 12 recognized producers who make pâté gaumais following the traditional recipe, all located in Gaume, the region in the province of Luxembourg that gives this delicacy its name.

In the vicinity of this historic region is located Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles, a microbrewery that has successfully captured the aromas of Wallonia's agricultural environment in its beer recipes. From its extensive catalog, a good accompaniment to pâté would be Rulles Brune, a belgian brown ale whose toasted and slightly chocolatey malt flavor will contrast with the intensity of the marinated and seasoned pork meat.

The protagonists of the lunch: main dishes

Despite having no coastline, the walloon region boasts numerous streams and rivers, such as the mighty Meuse and Sambre. This makes it a perfect area for water sports and fishing, and its cuisine includes dishes made with various river catches. The most typical and popular fish in Wallonia is the river trout, which is usually prepared in the oven or grilled, creating a healthy, fresh and delicious meal.

In this case, the beer pairing goes beyond flavor and connects with an ancient legend. It is said that during a visit to the Abbey of Notre-Dame d'Orval, Matilda of Tuscany lost her wedding ring in a river. After praying for its return, a trout emerged from the water with the jewel in its mouth, causing the woman to exclaim: "This is truly a Val d'Or!". The trout and the ring are today symbols of the Orval monastery and the beer produced there, a trappist belgian pale ale brewed with a strain of yeast that gives it a unique, unusual and complex aroma. Furthermore, in the surroundings of the abbey, grilled trout and beer can be accompanied by Orval cheese croquettes, square-shaped and made with a creamy whole-milk cheese produced in the same monastery.

Although they are a traditional dish in the cuisines of different countries and regions, meatballs are prepared in a very peculiar way in Wallonia. In many restaurants in Liège you can taste boulets à la liégeiose, a local specialty characterized by both its size and the sauce with which it is served. They are large balls made with minced pork and beef, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce called lapin, made with onion, raisins, vinegar and sirop de Liège, a jam containing pear, apple, dates and apricots.

Lambics are peculiar beers and may seem somewhat extreme for a novice beer lover, but the perfect pairing for these hearty meatballs could be a lambic beer like Oude Gueuze en fûts de cognac from Tilquin , a sour wheat beer aged for two years in cognac barrels. The woody and liqueur notes are an excellent companion to the meat, while its subtle acidity and fine carbonation pair perfectly with the sauce lapin.

Beer is very present in a culinary specialty originating in northern France and Flanders, but also widely consumed in Wallonia. Carbonade flamande is a beef-based stew, slow-cooked in dark abbey beer to make it more tender. Onion, brown sugar, mustard, thyme, rosemary and a few slices of gingerbread are added to the stew, and it is finally served with a side of potatoes fried in beef fat.

Such a hearty and nutritious stew needs to be paired with a strong beer. We could opt for the Hercule Stout from Brasserie des Légendes, a belgian stout that pays homage to the fictional detective Hercule Poirot, who Agatha Christie said was born in the walloon town of Ellezelles. This beer stands out for its pronounced notes of coffee and roasted grains, and has been recognized as one of the best dark beers in Wallonia, so it will undoubtedly help enhance the flavor of the carbonade flamande.

Back in the Ardennes, this forested region in southern Wallonia is also rich in game, and dishes made with this type of meat are present in the local cuisine. A widely appreciated example is duck, and although there are many ways to cook its magret or lean breast meat, there is a very attractive recipe that includes beer. To prepare magret de canard à la Chouffe, you start by making square cuts in the skin of the duck breast, brown it in a pan with butter and finish roasting it in the oven. A sauce is made with reduced N’ice Chouffe beer and dark chocolate, the magret is accompanied by a coleslaw and sautéed bacon salad, and is optionally sprinkled with Speculoos biscuit crumbs.

In this case we will not complicate things too much with the pairing, as we will use a beer from the same brewery as the one used in the recipe. Brasserie d'Achouffe is one of the leading breweries in the Ardennes region and even in whole Belgium, with an impeccable track record of over 40 years in the beer sector. Its catalog, not too extensive but very solid, includes gems like Chouffe Bok 6666, a traditional bock, fruity, aromatic and with just the right touch of bitterness, which will undoubtedly be perfect for pairing with a game dish like this magret de canard.

Finishing with a good taste: desserts

Along with chocolate, waffles or gaufres are one of the most iconic sweets in belgian cuisine, and can be found at countless street stalls across the country, served with various syrups and toppings. Although not as well-known, the lacquemant is a close relative of waffles and considered a culinary specialty of the province of Liège. It is a thin, crispy wafer made from wheat flour, filled and coated with a sugar syrup flavored with orange blossom. It is especially popular at the October Fairs held in the city of Liège, where it is sold in boxes of six units that can be eaten hot or cold.

The basis of every beer recipe is water, cereal malt, hops and yeast, but nowadays you can find beers that incorporate a wide variety of striking ingredients. This is the case with Brasserie {C} and its Gaufrée, a very unique beer made with the local star product: authentic gaufres liègeoises. This original belgian blond beer is very aromatic and flavorful, with citrus and spicy notes reminiscent of vanilla, cinnamon, and orange peel. Despite this it is not overly sweet, making it a great companion for a dessert as cloying as lacquemant.

We conclude this culinary journey in Dinant, a town in the province of Namur located on the banks of the Meuse river. This town produces a local sweet whose origins appear to date back to a siege in 1466, when the city's inhabitants made the couque de Dinant with the few available ingredients. It is a sweet, large and hard biscuit made with equal parts wheat flour and honey, and shaped in wooden molds with a wide variety of designs. The honey caramelizes in the oven, giving the couque its hardness and durability. This biscuit is used in many walloon homes as a Christmas tree decoration, and is traditionally given to babies when they are teething to strengthen their gums.

The peak of couque de Dinant is St. Nicholas Day, which marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations. Therefore, it is a good idea to pair this traditional sweet with a seasonal beer like Gauloise Christmas from Brasserie du Bocq. This winter ale reaches over 8% alcohol, has a beautiful chestnut color with garnet highlights, and its notable body and fragrant aroma make it perfect to enjoy on a cold winter day with an assortment of Christmas sweets.