eat! BRUSSELS: The flavours of the world on a plate
Brussels has a great deal to offer when it comes to cuisine, from all sorts of different sources. To reflect this diversity, the International Village will once again be at the eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX festival. This year, 11 cities, provinces and regions that are partners of the Brussels-Capital Region will be joining in. Curious visitors will be able to discover all sorts of new flavours. The perfect way to finish off the programme of signature dishes by Brussels-based chefs and the diversity of the wines of Bordeaux, from 6 to 9 September at the Parc de Bruxelles.
The eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX festival offers visitors the perfect opportunity to rediscover the wide range of gourmet treats available in the capital every year. Brussels isn’t just about one cultural model: it draws its strength from the many different nationalities of which it is composed. But the cosmopolitan nature of the European capital is not limited to its population. It is also home to the cuisines served in the restaurants that fill all four corners of the Capital.
The invitation issued by the Minister for Foreign Relations and Brussels International won over 11 of their partners: the cities of Beijing, Lille, Ljubljana, Seoul, Sofia, Xi’an and Kiev, Mazovia Province (the home of Poland’s capital), Sichuan Province, Quebec and the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. The perfect opportunity to discover some authentic, unprecedented and brand new sensations for your taste buds! A gourmet trip around the world, without leaving Brussels…
The partners of the International Village:
Africa
Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (Morocco)
Moroccan cuisine has managed to hold on to its originality and unique cultural features. Traditional tajines, couscous royal, pastillas, briouats, cornes de gazelle… The names alone take us on a journey and bewitch us for the time it takes us to eat them. These flawlessly executed specialities will once again be available to try for the seventh ever eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX festival. To wash down all of these delicious treats, a mint tea is a must. Of course.
America
Quebec (Canada)
Traditional but also creative, Quebecois cuisine keeps on reinventing itself. Thanks to the unrivalled talent of its chefs, Quebec’s typical recipes have managed to adapt to modern tastes, and hold on to the best that Quebec’s gastronomic heritage has to offer. Infused with French, British and American-Indian culinary influences, Quebecois cuisine shows off local flavours like maple and cranberry. For 2018, chef Andréanne Marcil is revisiting some comfort foods like tourtière, ragoût and pâté chinois, as well as traditional treats from the “sugar shack”.
Representing Quebec at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: La Petite Cabane à sucre de Québec, in collaboration with Quebecois chef, whose second home is in Brussels, Andréanne Marcil.
Groceries
The Quebecois representatives from La Petite Cabane à sucre de Québec will introduce you to all the different facets of maple by putting together a whole host of authentic products, some of which come directly from the sugar bush: maple caramel, maple taffy, maple butter, SEVA maple water, beers from microbreweries, ice cider, Sortilège and of course, the famous 100% pure maple syrup!
Asia
Beijing (China)
Sometimes referred to as Mandarin or Imperial cuisine, Beijing cuisine boasts an array of dishes and desserts influenced by different Chinese culinary traditions. The climate is not suitable for growing rice, so wheat, in the form of noodles or bread, is the main source of starch. Another of its main features is the popularity of roots and vegetables with strong flavours, like pepper, garlic, ginger, leek, chive and coriander.
Representing Beijing at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: The Quanjude Roast Duck restaurant (Beijing).
Sichuan Province (South-West China)
Sichuan cuisine is renowned for its hot, spicy dishes. The famous Sichuan pepper is a plant with a spicy, “numbing” and almost citrussy flavour. Although it is omnipresent in the local cuisine, it is red peppers, imported from America, that give this cuisine its spicy notes. As a local saying goes: “Sichuan cuisine is the only one to have a hundred different dishes, each one with its own flavour, and the only one to have one dish that combines these hundred different flavours”.
Representing Sichuan at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: The Daronghe restaurant
Seoul
Not very well known in the West, Korean cuisine is continuing to make a name for itself. Each of its dishes contains a range of colours, textures and flavours, creating a balance that is as delicious as it is stunning, inspired by Taoism. The table is covered with a thousand little dishes: banchan. These little side dishes served in small containers are on the table for every meal. The famous Kimchi is the best known. Declared a national treasure, it is pickled vegetables that has been left to ferment for a long time and flavoured with garlic, ginger and chilli. Korean gastronomy is a whole continent of flavours!
Representing Seoul at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: the Walk Company
Xi’an
Shaanxi Province is renowned for its noodles: triangular, cooked in a pot, knife cut, hand- pulled etc., served with different flavoured sauces. The chefs are like virtuoso jugglers, spinning a spiral of dough, transformed into a long ball, forming the basis of soups and sautéed noodles. Another iconic street food dish is Rou jia mo, a Chinese hamburger made up of a small round roll, with meat in the middle, generally mixed with pepper or green chilli. A real treat!
Representing Xi’an at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: The Intoxicating Chang’an restaurant
Europe
Kiev (Ukraine)
If you want to get to know Kiev, you need to start by exploring its cuisine: the famous borscht of course, but also homemade sausages, Nalyvka, fresh bacon on rye bread and of course, Carpathian honey… This rich selection of flavours will open your heart to the richness of its cultural heritage. Kiev offers you a warm welcome!
Representing Kiev at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: The Kupidon restaurant.
Groceries
The Ukrainian representatives from restaurant Kupidon present their typical and authentic take-away products: honey, teas and infusions, spices and sauces, caramels, coffee, beer, crafted spirits and, of course, Ukrainian vodka “Horilka”.
Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Slovenia is a rising star in the foodie world. For the last few years, culinary tourism has been booming here. Where the Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonian Basin meet, the gourmet history of this country, which also enjoys the Balkan climate, is reinventing itself thanks to the talents of inventive Slovenian chefs.
Representing Ljubljana at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: Chef Jorg Zupan from the Atelje Restaurant
Mazovia (Poland)
In Mazovia, the pleasures of the table are a national tradition. And what a lovely surprise! Mazovian dishes look fantastic, reflecting the generosity of its people’s souls. Over the centuries, Poland has been enriched with Italian and French culinary influences, as well as Tartar, Armenian, Lithuanian, Cossack and Hungarian.
Representing Mazovia at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: A culinary team appointed by Mazovia Province, especially for the festival.
Métropole européenne de Lille (MEL)
Still nicknamed “the capital of Flanders”, Lille has seen many occupiers come and go. So it is no surprise that its cuisine is very eclectic, but it is Flanders that has contributed the most to its culinary inspiration. Flemish of course, often with cheeses (Vieux Lille!) and the well- known “potjevleesch”, Lille’s cuisine is always generous. Let it be said that Métropole Européenne de Lille is every bit as good as its Belgian neighbours when it comes to craft beers.
Representing Métropole européenne de Lille (MEL) at eat! BRUSSELS drink! BORDEAUX:
Nicolas Choquet, chef at the “OCTOPUS” restaurant, Steven Ramon, chef at “LE ROUGE BARRE” restaurant, Alexandre Suergiu, chef at the “AUX EPHERITES” restaurant, Christophe Pirotais, chef at the “LE SOLANGE” restaurant and Mickaël Braure, chef at the “LE BISTROT DU WITLOOF” restaurant.
Groceries
Representatives from Lille will give you a warm welcome in the grocery in their small cafe, and invite you to discover the best specialities the area has to offer. Different kinds of fantastic craft beers, filled waffles, jenever or some speciality cheeses, like mimolette or Vieux Lille will introduce you to the richness of their local savoir-faire.
Sofia (Bulgaria)
At the crossroads of different influences, Sofia’s cuisine is typical of the Balkans. Meze, grills and salads are popular components of the city’s generous dishes. Bulgarian cuisine is not limited to its famous yoghurt. It is constantly reinventing itself.
Representing Sofia at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX: Laila Fashion Cooking
