When you think of Belgium, you think of chocolate, beer and waffles, right? But you can find lots of other specialties here.
The “Cuberdon” for instance is something unique for the region of Ghent. I don`t even think there is an English name for it. It`s a candy in the shape of a nose or a little hat, made out of sugar with inside a filling of a gooey, liquid syrup. Because it has a limited time of remaining fresh, it`s not exported and can only be bought in Belgium. I myself, love it, but some find it too sweet!

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Another specialty is “Speculaas”. though it can be bought all over Belgium and in other countries as well, the city of Hasselt is known for its variety of “Speculaas”. So what is it? Speculaas is a thin, very crunchy type of biscuit or cookie. It often has a figure or image stamped on the front side before baking. Usually made from white flour, brown sugar, butter and spices. With spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom,… It`s very nice with a cup of coffee.

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We all know French Fries, but in Belgium they`re called “Frieten” or fries. The Belgians believe the term “French” was introduced when British or American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and when tasting Belgian fries, they supposedly called them “French”, as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. Even though some claim the dish was invented in Spain and spread to the Spanish Netherlands, which became Belgium, it is a part of several national dishes, like “Mussels and Fries” or “Steak and Fries”.

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You can find lots of places to try fries, like in a restaurant or at a “Frituur”. This is a traditional shop to buy fries. You can find them often on main highways and town squares, serving quick service fast food or take away. You can find here besides the fries, other fried dishes like hamburgers, meatballs, … And they offer a wide selection of sauces like ketchup, mayonnaise… and many more! They come in a paper rolled cone or plastic tray. If you want to try the real Belgian fries, this is the way to eat them.

To come back to the chocolates. It was Jean Neuhaus (Belgian) who invented the pralines, world`s biggest chocolate selling point is Brussels Airport and Belgium produces 220 000 tons of chocolate per year, so it`s only natural you think of chocolate as the first thing to come to mind to associate with Belgium!

Isabelle is a passionate traveler who built her own website, Isabelle’s Travel Guide, that’s filled with personal experiences, travel tips and information to help others create their own memorable vacation. There’s nothing more Isabelle loves than traveling the world, experiencing new adventures and discovering new destinations. With her website, Isabelle hopes to be an inspiration and help others in their ventures to explore the world. You can also follow her on Twitter @IsabellesTravel.

In fact, a year ago some friends from France of a common friend came to Romania in a short visit. Their first Romanian experience was sweet and unforgettable as their first taste was “papanasi” – this delicious cottage cheese dumplings. Needless to say, they loved papanasi so much that it convincing them to try a new desert had become a challenge. This post goes to them and to all the papanasi lovers around the world. Yes, this is IT, the recipe of the famed sweets.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 400g sweet cottage cheese
• 4 spoons semolina
• 200-300g flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 or 2 eggs
• 1 vanilla sugar (optional depending on different tastes)
• cooking oil
• cream and jam for serving

HOW TO MAKE THEM:

• mix together the cottage cheese, semolina, 2 tablespoons of flour, the sugar and eggs  (and the vanilla sugar as well, if you like the flavor);
• then lay down a thin layer of flour on which you will put the crude “papanasi”;
• make small balls out of the mix and cover them in flour on the outside in order to prevent them from being sticky; put a hole in their center so the end they should look like a torus (like a donut, if you like). Also make some smaller balls – these are to be placed on top of the donuts, in the end. These balls should be a bit bigger than the hole in the donuts.
• heat the oil, then fry the papanasi dough mix balls and the donuts you made. The oil should cover the content of the papanasi. You will see that the balls and “donuts” will rise – and when they do it’s sign they are done. Make sure to cook them on both sides.
• After baking every ball and donut, put them on plates – each donut with a ball on top. Pour some cream on top and add jam on each “group”. Voila! Ready to be served! As jam, you can choose wild cherry jam, wooden fruits jam etc. – according to taste.

Preparing “papanasi” should not take more than 30 minutes, mixing and baking included. It is an easy to cook desert – but pretty tasteful.

Some avoid using semolina and use only flour. Others choose to grind the skin on a half of an orange and add it into the mix, for a special flavor. I prefer the simple recipe – and my papanasi always taste differently depending on the jam I choose.

Did you ever eat “papanasi”? How did you find them?

*photo credits go to Ana Adi - check her other photos on Flickr.

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