Dagje Antwerpen: koffie, shoppen en wafels

What is a “Belgische wafel”?

A Belgische wafel is more than one thing. Belgium sells two distinct waffle styles, and tourists routinely conflate them. The Brusselse wafel is rectangular, deep-pocketed, light, made with a yeasted batter, and traditionally eaten with confectioner’s sugar, fruit, slagroom, or chocolate sauce. The Luikse wafel (Liège waffle) is denser, sweeter, smaller, oval-edged, made with a brioche-style dough studded with caramelised pearl sugar, and eaten plain in the hand. Antwerpen, Gent, Brugge, and Brussels all have specialist wafelhuizen, and big chains like Maison Dandoy (Brussels) supply waffles across the country. Dutch tourists in Antwerp default to Luikse wafels with chocolate.

In this clip, a Dutch couple’s day trip ends with: “Daarna hebben we een leuke wafel gehaald met chocola natuurlijk.”