Eat to your heart's content in Brussels, Belgium

Croquettes are generally considered a Spanish food, but every country adapts internationally popular dishes, and interesting spin-offs are born from it. Croquettes in Belgium are no exception. In Brussels, a very popular variation involves Croquettes aux crevettes with a thick and creamy bechamel filling mixed with grey shrimps. These croquettes are often served with a slice of lemon and fried parsley. An unusual modification to be sure, but a very welcome one if you want to explore food.

Nüetnigenough offers different types of croquettes.

Another common dish on the Belgian tables is something that's universally popular across Europe. Steak fries is the combination of ingredients as obvious and ubiquitous as it is perfectly suitable for small experiments with preparation and modification. A steak can be cooked in different ways and enhanced with a variety of sauces, and French fries compliment the taste, making the final dish hefty and quick to consume, which is very utilitarian but not shabby at all.

Friture René has got you covered in this respect.

Time for a stew, and Belgium has a dish that hits just the right spot. Waterzooi is a dish originating in Flanders and made with fish, either freshwater or sea. Alternatively, modern recipes include chicken. All versions are based on a soup-base of egg yolk, cream and thickened vegetable broth. Herbs such as parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves are used to enrich the final taste. It's a classical dish that Belgians learn to make early and enjoy, so any guest should probably try it.

Aux Armes de Bruxelles offers great waterzooi.

Here's a sample of Francophone parts of the culture that reflect amazingly on the cuisine. A small hollow case of puff pastry called vol-au-vent looks aesthetically pleasing and provides a great dining experience if you make it a part of your meal. A vol-au-vent is prepared with precision, by cutting two circles in rolled-out puff pastry, cutting a hole in one of them, then stacking the ring-shaped piece on top of the disc-shaped piece. Chicken and fish serve as the main filling options.

Brasserie de la Gare is said to have the best vol-au-vent around.

Who said that European cuisine should be pretentiously exquisite and complicated? Belgians enjoy their high table recipes, but simple things like fried sausages are no less beloved. It's a simple combination: just take a properly prepared sausages and fry it over a flame, or use a special barbeque stand. The only thing that matters is the timing and the accompanying sauces, herbs, side dishes, and the ambience. Therefore, in a developed city like Brussels, it's important to properly pick the restaurant.

Fritland is a notable example.

Now to something more substantial. A central city in a developed European country has no lack of people who enjoy their meat seriously and plentifully made. Enter casserole, a variant of meat cooked in a large, deep pan or bowl. Meat is not the exclusive ingredient for casserole, but certainly the most popular one. Stews and pasta mixes can also be considered casseroles, but the term itself is full of technicalities that aren't too important to people just trying to enjoy well-cooked food.

Fin de Siècle is a safe bet when trying to eat something substantial.

Mussels have become increasingly popular over the last decades, not only in Belgium, but in most European countries. It was inevitable that someone would come up with ways to improve the original dish. For example, there's the moules frites, a main dish of mussels and fries originating in Belgium and created by combining mussels, a popular and cheap foodstuff, with the most common food there can be at this day and age - potatoes. On average, between 25 and 30 tonnes of moules are consumed each year in Belgium as moules-frites.

La-Boussole is one of the most popular places for this kind of food in Brussels.

Since we're talking about potatoes, another Belgian dish that turns something simple into a work of art comes to mind. Stoemp is an invention of mashed potatoes with one or more vegetables, such as onions, carrots, leeks, spinach, green peas and cabbage, seasoned with thyme, nutmeg or bayleaf. Stoemp is traditionally featured alongside fried boudin, fried braadworst, grilled bacon, fried mince or fried eggs. The dish is suitable for a serious meal, so don't expect a quick bite.

La Fleur en Papier Doré should be a decent place.

The Japanese noodle soup is a surprising entry on this list, but with the globalization and the rather constant interest in all Asian things among the people of Europe and America, popularization of ramen was inevitable. It's simple, nutritious, tasty, and interesting - what is not to like? There are many variations of ramen, but the main combination consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso.

Yummy Bowl should take care of your hunger for ramen.

It's a common stereotype, sometimes offensively so, that Belgians love waffles and make them in abundance. Ignorant as the stereotype is, waffles are actually pretty popular as food in restaurants, and many different recipes provide for a diverse and interesting corner of the gastronomic scene. Gaufres, the Belgian waffles most commonly sold in places from serious restaurants to food trucks, are well complemented by the very local Brussels waffles, and many more.

Veganwaf' is the place to go for waffles.

As you can see, food is an integral and vast part of the Belgian experience when visiting the amazing city of Brussels. Enjoy every moment!