Belgium belly: Just crackers about cheese

First day of food festival invites more than a second helping.

ISLAMABAD: Six-hundred kilogrammes of produce flown in from Europe was what it took to cater a two-day food festival organised by the Embassy of Belgium.

Chef Eric de Wagenaere started with a bistro in Ghent — Coeur d’Artichaut or the Heart of the artichoke. Now with six restaurants and more of a managerial role, Wagenaere had Chef Matthias Van Acker with him, a young lad whose blog on chefs-talk.com is all you need to know before you bite into what he’s plated.

From cheese to shrimp, the festival offered a variety of succulent dishes. PHOTOS: HUMA CHOUDHARY/EXPRESS

And he plated some pretty mean dishes for the capital.

For the Francophile, fromage is the course before dessert, for the Anglophile, it’s the last thing to be had with port (for the Belgians too). For the Karachiite in Islamabad, the cheese counter was the first stop to a food coma.

But the blue cheese infused with herbs and a Gouda-like texture justified the break from food protocol. So was the Passandale, made by Christian monks who also make their own beer. Wagenaere told The Express Tribune the cheese is also often paired with beverage. The semi-soft cheese also has the honour of being the oldest cheese in Belgium.

To please the Pakistani palate, the hotel had erred on the side of caution by adding desi-ised things to the menu. But Wagenaere was quick to help navigate the confusing set-up with few food labels or knowledgeable waiters.

One forkful of the grey shrimp salad was an eye-opener; miniscule shrimp in a zestful dressing with halved sweet tomatoes. The shrimp was succulent, a bit more fishy in flavour than local variety. And they are caught on horseback, actual Flemmish horses dredge them from the North Sea beaches when the water recedes.

From cheese to shrimp, the festival offered a variety of succulent dishes. PHOTOS: HUMA CHOUDHARY/EXPRESS

“They are best had at the beach, boiled in saltwater,” said Wagenaere.

The waterzooi (water mess), a staple Ghent dish, also comes with a story.

The light stew was made with fish before World War II. The war polluted the inlets which make their way into Ghent, forcing locals to switch to chicken, now the popular meat. Wagenaere’s waterzooi was a tantalizing ‘mess’ in the mouth. A soft, white sauce which screamed lick me up and don’t look back at the calories.

However, the winning recipe was the mussels. Whether it was the novelty of fresh mussels or the lovely brothy, oniony aftertaste, these clams should travel east more often.



Perhaps the dessert which had the most expectations attached to it was the least exciting. Not to belittle the chocolate fondant or mousse but the apple pie was the best last bite of the day. Belgium anyone?

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2014.