Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook [Hardcover]

Ruth Van Waerebeek (Author), Maria Robbins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 1996

It's a country that boasts more three-star restaurants per capita than any other nation-including France. It's a country where home cooks--and everyone, it seems, is a great home cook--spend copious amounts of time thinking about, shopping for, preparing, discussing, and celebrating food. With its French foundation, hearty influences from Germany and Holland, herbs straight out of a Medieval garden, and condiments and spices from the height of Flemish culture, Belgian cuisine is elegant comfort food at its best--slow-cooked, honest, bourgeois, nostalgic. It's the Sunday meal and a continental dinner party, family picnics and that antidote to a winter's day.

In 250 delicious recipes, here is the best of Belgian cuisine. Veal Stew with Dumplings, Mushrooms, and Carrots. Potato and Leek Stoemp. Smoked Trout Mousse with Watercress Sauce. Braised Partridge with Cabbage and Abbey Beer. Gratin of Belgian Endives. Flemish Carrot Soup. Steak-Frites. Belgian Steamed Mussels. Belgian Steamed Mussels. Cognac Scented Flemish Waffles. And desserts, some using the best chocolate on earth: Belgian Chocolate Ganache Tart, Lace Cookies from Brugge, Almond Cake with Fresh Fruit Topping, Little Chocolate Nut Cakes.

As Belgians explain it, since one has to eat three times a day, why not make a feast of every meal? 57,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this charming introduction to a cuisine that fuses "French finesse" with German and Dutch country-cooking influences, Van Waerebeek, a Ghent native who teaches Belgian cooking in New York City, expands widely upon family recipes. In the anecdotal introduction, she describes Flemish food as "still deeply rooted in medieval cookery," with centuries-old reliance on such ingredients as nutmeg, saffron, almonds and dried fruits. Appetizers include vegetable dishes that, like Gratin of Belgian Endives, are rich in cheese; more than 20 hearty soup recipes are offered. Recipes featuring mussels, leeks and herring abound. Poultry and meat chapters focus on traditional favorites such as Waterzooi of Chicken ("a confusion of a soup with a stew," chock-full of herbs and vegetables) and meat loaf made with veal. Beer, used even in desserts, earns its own chapter, as does the much-loved potato ("traditionally Belgian fries were fried in the rendered fat of beef kidneys"). The chapter "Waffles and Pancakes" supplies the secret of real Belgian waffles (they are yeast-raised). With numerous sidebars throughout, on subjects from cafe life to quiche, Van Waerebeek evokes this homey, bourgeois cuisine with care and enthusiasm. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When was the last time you saw a Belgian cookbook? Van Waerebeek, who grew up in Ghent and now teaches cooking in New York City, points out that much of the country's culinary tradition remains an oral one, passed down from generation to generation, and here she presents both her own recipes and those of her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. Belgian food is strongly linked to French cuisine, with German and Dutch influences, featuring fish and seafood, leeks, asparagus, cheese, and beer as the favorite ingredients-and don't forget the chocolate. Recipes include both homey, hearty dishes and more sophisticated fare, from Cod with Mustard and Gingered Carrots to Chocolate Chestnut Truffle Mousse. An essential purchase.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 1St Edition edition (January 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761101063
• ISBN-13: 978-0761101062
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, November 26, 2002

By 

Lee R. (Masnuy St. Jean, Belguim (but formally from Alaska!)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook (Hardcover)

I've lived in Belgium for over five years. When I got here I knew no one. I happened to meet a wonderful Belgian woman with whom I fell in love with and married. This book was given to us by very good friends on our third anniversary a few months ago. My wife laughed at this peculiar present from Americans and put it with the rest of our cookbooks. However, some months ago she was trying to remember a family recipe and was having a difficult time recalling all the stuff that when in it. So she got the cookbook out, found the recipe, and prepared the food according to the book. Now, she cooks from this book on a regular basis and I am the benefactor of this. This was a great present and it truly is a great cookbook. It is very accurate and reflects the fine Flemish and French cuisine of Belgium. I highly recommend this book for lovers of good food.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stupendous! Indispensible! More importantly delicious!, December 1, 2004

By 

The Justini "anthropology student" (Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook (Paperback)

When I lived in Belgium, it drove me crazy the amount of attention and respect devoted to food. Why, I would wonder, can't we just pick up a box of cereal and call it breakfast? Now back in America, I realize what a true fool I was. Everything about the Belgian meal was phenomenal: the labor of love, the attention to detail, the combination of taste and texture and the presentation -- but mostly the quest for perfection. I almost did a backflip when I found this book, because I had bought many Belgian cookbooks written in French and Flemish but the conversions were difficult to do. Ruth Van Waerebeek not only makes certain that Belgian recipes can be made with American measurements, but she tells a bit about the culture that comes with the recipes, so you get a complete Belgian experience when you make the recipes. The waffle recipe works like a charm and will make a popular tradition -- these are amazing and authentic -- no frozen food aisle version can even come close. I also recommend the Mussels and Belgian Endive gratin recipes. The secret to amazing French Fries is in this book, as well. There is something amazingly satisfying about Belgian food. It is both simple and rich and it makes for a joyful meal. Everybody Eats Well in Belgium contains a treasure chest of recipes that will become family favorites and dinner party masterpieces. In short, this book is a steal at any price.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody really DOES eat well in Belgium, June 11, 2003

By 

kristen (Simcoe, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook (Hardcover)

I married into a Belgian family, and I have to say, I was intimidated by my mother-in-law's wonderful cooking. How would I ever measure up? In fifteen years, I've learned quite a few of her recipes, but after reading this book, I finally understand where she's coming from. Ruth Van Waerbeek not only introduces Belgian food and cooking, but an entire way of life. The recipes are great, and the stories and anecdotes are even better. This is one of those cookbooks you can sit and read cover-to-cover, even when you're not looking for a recipe. I'm ordering one for my mother-in-law --she'll love it!