What's Cooking in Belgium: Recipes and Stories from a Food-Loving Nation

A cookbook with a difference!Not only will you find lots of mouth-watering recipes for traditional Belgian dishes, but also fascinating anecdotes about the nation's Illustrated with beautiful photography by Diane HendrikxWhat's Cooking in Belgium is a culinary tour of the country with each chapter containing two classic recipes built around a theme. The themes include specific foods, Belgian landscapes, regions, cultures, lifestyles, and special occasions, all of which provide a rich portrait of the terrific flavors and wonderful versatility of Belgian cuisine.Belgium's mercantile heritage has provided many different culinary influences to Belgian cooking. Dutch, German, & French obviously, but spices from Africa & the East are also present in numerous recipes. Belgian food combines the finesse of French cuisine with the generous portions of the Germans.In beer drinking Belgium, hop shoots -the first buds of the hop plant and only available for six weeks- are considered the most expensive vegetable in the world!Having talked to chefs and farmers, historians and curators up and down the country, Anna Jenkinson and Neil Evans have put together a book of recipes and stories that explain Belgium's love affair with food. They traveled from the North Sea coast in the West to the Ardennes forest in the East and learned the secret to making Belgian chips, when the first chocolate praline was made, and how the Spanish, French and Germans have all influenced Belgian cuisine over the centuries.Illustrated with beautiful photographs by Diane Hendrikx, this book could live in the kitchen or on your coffee table.