When I was planning my trip to Brussels, I saw many tourism advertisements for workshops on making Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates.
Many of the advertisements discussed the history or process for making the items, but never discussed why these waffles and chocolates deserve a regional. After all, you can make waffles and chocolates anywhere. I was curious. What is so special about Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates? I went to Brussels to find out.
I signed up for the remarkable Belgian Waffle Making Workshop with Beer Tasting. Across from a bronze statue of Belgian singer Jacques Brel is a historic two-story building with “Waffles ’n Beer” posted on windows facing the narrow street. I entered the building to find a spotless instructional kitchen with wood-topped, bar-height tables. Each had kitchen scales, flour sifters, blenders, Belgian waffle makers and sets of cooking utensils.
Instructor Sarya Aras greeted me as I made my way to a table. I was not alone in my quest to learn about these rectangular and fluffy waffles. There was a West Virginian grandmother standing next to another table with her daughter and granddaughter.
Before we started making waffles, Aras invited us to try a selection of beers from Boon Brewery, a traditional Belgian brewery. Aras explained that at one time, the water in Belgium was undrinkable, so the locals drank beer. We tried cherry-, nutty- and citrusy-flavored beers, which Aras said we could add to the waffle batter.
We then went to our cooking stations for our hands-on experience. Aras assigned us to work in teams of two. Luckily, my cooking partner was the grandmother, who happened to be a kitchen wizard. She combined the ingredients, whipped egg whites, made the batter and poured batter into the greased waffle iron. We did not add beer. After a few minutes baking – voilà, thick Belgian waffles with deep pockets.
Aras said that in Belgium the list of toppings are whipped cream, powdered sugar, fruit and nuts. Syrup is not a traditional topping, unlike thin American waffles. My Belgian waffle was delicious and intensely sweet.
There is no shortage of places to buy the sweet treats. I found that in Brussels, there are many food trucks as well as dine-in and carryout restaurants, that only sell Belgian waffles. Each eatery adds to Brussels’ reputation as the world’s top destination for Belgian waffles.
Later, I walked to the Belgian Chocolate Making Workshop with Tasting offered by the well-known Belgian Chocolate Makers. For this workshop, I was joined by eight other travelers. Inside a modern building, there was a medium-sized instructional kitchen with stainless steel bar-height tables. Trays on the tables held chocolate toppings such nuts, colorful candy sprinkles and small pieces of dried fruit in separate compartments. Against the wall were two chocolate-making machines, one with vegan chocolate and the other with non-vegan chocolate.
Patricia Lafargue, instructor and chocolate maker, required everyone to wash their hands before handling any chocolate-making items. Lafargue said she had one strict rule: After you wash your hands, if you touch anything other than chocolate making items, she would halt her lecture and require you to again wash your hands. Within a few minutes of the lecture, one attendee stuck her fingers in her mouth and rubbed her face. True to her rule, Lafargue made the woman rewash her hands.
Lafargue discussed the story of cocoa, from bean to bar. She also talked about today’s challenges of manufacturers buying low-cost cocoa but unknowingly buying from farms that use child labor. Lafargue said that each year someone from her company goes to inspect the farms that it purchases coco from.
After Lafargue’s lecture on chocolate, she provided us with chocolate molds, thermometers and piping bags with liquid chocolate. We squeezed the chocolate from the piping bags into the molds to make candy bars. We also put chocolate on parchment paper to make truffles and chocolate candy designs. The nuts, sprinkles and fruit were placed on top of the chocolate, then it all went into a refrigerator. After a short time, they were ready to be devoured.
I asked Lafargue what makes Belgian chocolates so special, and she said it is the strict rules, which prohibit vegetable oil.
After inhaling at least 3,000 calories so far that day, I needed to increase my daily step count by walking around Autoworld Brussels, a museum in a building designed like an airplane hangar.
As soon as I passed through the museum’s secured entry point, I was impressed by its layout. The main floor has soaring spaces with an elevated floor on the side.
The selection of cars was equally impressive. The museum had a diverse collection of automobiles that cover generations of design and engineering, ranging from classics to luxurious to flashy. After spending more than two hours there with most of my time Ferrari dreaming, I had to get back to real life.
Now that I have found the answers to my questions about Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates, I’m ready to host my own sweets party where I’ll razzle-dazzle guests with waffles and chocolates. And if the desserts don’t impress people, my newfound knowledge from my visit to Autoworld Brussels will.
A few things to know about Brussels before you go: The pharmacies are where you buy over-the-counter medicines. Most pharmacies are closed on Sundays, and they can be busy on days they are open. It is best to travel with your medicines.
Getting around Brussels is easy. It has wonderful public transportation. It also has ride sharing services, such as Uber.
I did not encounter any language barriers. Many people spoke English.
David Placher is a writer, photographer and world traveler with ties to Fort Wayne. When Placher isn’t traveling, he is drafting and reviewing technology and information security contracts for a living. His travel stories appear on occasion in The Journal Gazette.