I adore waffles… Waffles, in any guise have a place in my heart for the simple fact that they are one of human kind’s best inventions, and they connect me to my culture, to my home. Waffles are great things because of their characteristics; they have little cups made by the imprint of a waffle iron - shallow or deep, depending on the sort of waffle - to keep hold of a topping or filling. But not all waffles have a topping or filling, which means the waffle imprint has another function too and that is in its waffle essence to evenly cook the dough in a time before ovens.
I have never been to Belgium but in London many years ago I had a liege waffle and it was life changing 😂 the crispy crunchy bits of pearl sugar still resonate with me. I've been chasing that waffle for 15 years!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I lived in Florennes in 1988 - stationed there with the United States Air Force. I had two favorite items from the weekly street-markets. Their rotisserie chicken (they weren't common in the U.S. back then), and the Liege waffles.
Here in the States, when we see "Belgian waffles," it means the Brussels kind. They just don't measure up to the Liege ones, for me. As Andrew Kavros said -- those crispy, crunch bits of pearl sugar -- magnifique!
I read your article about the different sorts of waffles and my favourite is the Brussels waffle. However, sometime last year I took my grandchildren to Brussels to see an exhibition. As a treat we went to an ice cream and waffle salon in the centre of the city, one grandchild asked for an ice cream, the other a waffle with chocolate sauce. To my horror (and to my 8 year old grandson), the assistant passed a waffle on a stick, that had been dipped in chocolate, the shape of a part of the male anatomy!! Thankfully after a bit of explanation I was able to ask for an alternative.
Thanks for another fascinating post—the photos were wonderful, as always. Here in the US we have a waffle tradition dating back to the Dutch settlers in the 17th C. Cornmeal waffles are often eaten with fried chicken as a hearty breakfast , a combination made popular in the Harlem area of NYC in the 1930s. So delicious with butter and maple syrup!
I have never been to Belgium but in London many years ago I had a liege waffle and it was life changing 😂 the crispy crunchy bits of pearl sugar still resonate with me. I've been chasing that waffle for 15 years!
Hi Regula!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I lived in Florennes in 1988 - stationed there with the United States Air Force. I had two favorite items from the weekly street-markets. Their rotisserie chicken (they weren't common in the U.S. back then), and the Liege waffles.
Here in the States, when we see "Belgian waffles," it means the Brussels kind. They just don't measure up to the Liege ones, for me. As Andrew Kavros said -- those crispy, crunch bits of pearl sugar -- magnifique!
OK, this recipe is on the cards for my weekend breakfast treat! (Pulling out my waffle iron)
Frozen ones make a lovely "not-having-a-great-day- ooh, there are waffles in the freezer!" pick me up.
I read your article about the different sorts of waffles and my favourite is the Brussels waffle. However, sometime last year I took my grandchildren to Brussels to see an exhibition. As a treat we went to an ice cream and waffle salon in the centre of the city, one grandchild asked for an ice cream, the other a waffle with chocolate sauce. To my horror (and to my 8 year old grandson), the assistant passed a waffle on a stick, that had been dipped in chocolate, the shape of a part of the male anatomy!! Thankfully after a bit of explanation I was able to ask for an alternative.
Thanks for another fascinating post—the photos were wonderful, as always. Here in the US we have a waffle tradition dating back to the Dutch settlers in the 17th C. Cornmeal waffles are often eaten with fried chicken as a hearty breakfast , a combination made popular in the Harlem area of NYC in the 1930s. So delicious with butter and maple syrup!
It would be nice to know where to buy some of the irons shown here and mentioned in your book.
Trying to get to write this comment was a complicated process!