Day 2: Bruges, Belgium Food Walking Tour. One of our favorite ways to visit a new city is to do a walking food tour. We had an excellent one this morning. It gave us a good sense of the area, along with some of the best restaurants, foods, and drinks to try. Our Guide, Jonathan was amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable, and patient.

He introduced us to Bruges via its Frites, Stroopwafles, Belgian Chocolate, and waffles. Speaking of Frites, or “French Fries” as we call them in the States, apparently they are not “French” at all. According to Belgian lore, we learned that they actually originate in Belgium. Villagers who enjoyed eating small fried fish they caught during warmer months were unable to eat when the rivers froze, making it impossible to fish. The people turned to potatoes, slicing and frying them like they did the fish. American soldiers stationed in the French speaking part of Belgium during World War I were introduced to Frites, and began referring to them as “French Fries”, and this has stuck over the years, giving credit to the wrong country.

Look closely at this next picture…the little red cones (cuberdons) or as they are affectionately called “Red Noses.” These started out as a way to give children medicine hidden in something sweet. Over time, the medicine filling was replaced but in all honesty, when we sampled them, they still tasted like overly sweet, syrupy medicine to us as well. Definitely not one of my favorite things, but it’s worth trying. Just make sure you buy it very fresh, which means the outside should be very soft and easily break, while the inside should be liquid. And if visiting Belgium, ask about the “War of the Noses.”

Next up, the candy on a stick.

Those are really waffles. Strangely enough, waffles – as opposed to the Frites – actually did originate in France, but Belgium has put its own twist on them, and often serves waffles with sugar and candy and any other interesting topping they can think of.

As good as they were, however, they did not compare to the Liege Waffles we had in Brussels (and later discovered in Bruges on our own!) More on that later.

Jonathan also explained the history of Belgian Beer to us. I was shocked to learn that there are 1500 different beers produced in Belgium.

And the secret to identifying a more authentic Belgian restaurant from the rest? Apparently each beer comes with its own special glass. I’d never ever heard that before. When you dine at a restaurant and everyone orders a different beer, there should be the same number of different glasses the beer is served in. Here are a few examples:

I’m not typically a beer drinker, but when in Bruges. I ended up finding something I really liked (the third picture above), so there really is something for everyone! And that concludes our Walking Food Tour Experience. I’m so glad we did it. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Next up? Our Chocolate Making Experience.

For more information on our itineraries, feel free to email us at dtgainor@gmail.com or visit Global Getaways to learn more about how who we are and how we work.