Warning: You may be hungry after reading this because it’s all about Belgian waffles. Why write an entire article just about waffles? Because, Belgium is known for three things: its beer….its chocolate…and its waffles. Plus, they’re delicious.

I knew I would have no trouble finding beer and chocolate in Belgium, so that just left waffles. Upon arriving in the country, I soon learned that waffles were a little more complicated than I thought. Lucky for me, I signed up for a Belgian Waffle Workshop in Brussels. Not only did I learn a lot in 90 minutes, I got to make and eat amazing waffles.

Did you know there are two different kinds of waffles in Belgium? The Brussels Waffle is made with a thin batter and when cooked, is light and crispy. This waffle is recognizable by its rectangular shape and deep holes. The Liege Waffle is made with a thicker, sweeter, dough-like batter. When cooked, the waffle has uneven edges and has a crunchy coating.

One street in Brussels has shops that sell waffles for one euro. How do they make any money with this business venture? The toppings. These are Leige waffles. They are already sweet. They don’t need any toppings. But tourists don’t know that.

In my Belgian Waffle Workshop, we made Brussels waffles. Because these waffles aren’t that sweet to begin with, it’s easy to add toppings without tasting a sugar overload.

Step One: Measure and Mix the Ingredients

Our workshop had all of our ingredients ready to go. I teamed up with a couple from the UK (see photo below) and we took turns adding in the necessary ingredients.

Step Two: Cook the Waffles

What makes a Brussels waffle unique besides its ingredients is how it is cooked. The waffle iron is extremely hot.

When the thin batter is poured, the waffles cook quickly with a crispy outside and a softer inside.

These were my cooking buddies. Once we poured the batter on the waffle iron, it took about four minutes for our waffles to be perfectly cooked.

That’s also why Brussels waffles should be eaten quickly– so the waffle doesn’t lose its crispiness.

Step Three: Eat and Enjoy Your Waffles

There’s no question that my favorite part of the cooking workshop was eating the waffles. Our workshop provided us with a drink (beer, wine, or water) to go along with our waffles and we were free to add as many toppings as we wanted.

How should you eat a waffle? No Belgian eats their waffles with a fork. Waffles are held between your thumb and the rest of your fingers, secured by a napkin on either side. If it has toppings, it’s eaten like a pizza. Now you know how not to look like such a tourist in Belgium.

The Belgium Waffle Workshop only costs 25 euro. It was a fantastic introduction to Belgium and one of its culinary specialties.

Brussels Waffle Recipe:

Mix in a bowl:

18 oz (500g) of fermenting flour
3 eggs
1 pinch of salt
2 packs of vanilla sugar (.56 oz)
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (35 cl) of corn oil
1 1/2 cups (35 cl) of milk
1 1/4 cups (28 cl) of sparkling water or beer

Mix thoroughly. Heat up waffle iron (specific to Belgium). Pour dough onto the iron. Close iron and flip the iron upside down. Wait 3-4 minutes before removing your waffle. Enjoy!

To learn more about the Waffle Workshop in Brussels, click here.

-C.K.