to think that Brussels Sprouts are not "salad"?

[Portofino]

Along with cold cauliflower and brocolli ?

My Belgian workplace canteen appears to have a difference in opinion and has all these things in the salad bar. I know they have some damn strange things on the menu from time to time - but COLD sprouts!

[Portofino]

I like a nice cold Hoegaarden, with a slice of lemon!

[scaryteacher]

Kriek is not nasty - you just haven't a good one yet. The Mort Subite extra is great, as is Liefmanns.

I thought the Belgians wouldn't touch Stella - isn't known as wifebeater? Try Leffe - they're all good. I'm a Bishops Finger/Speckled Hen/Spitfire/Flowers/6X girl myself.

[Portofino]

Aah Cora is great for freebies. They had a martini rosso promotion the other week - amazed I got the shopping done at all!

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Chicory? That's not so bad. I thought it would be a huge white sausage[vom].
Kriek is nasty, Duval is lovely, Jupiler is nice but I am a Stella girl at heart.

[belgo]

at the free alcohol in the supermarket
you have to love Belgium for that alone. And for the wine served at the indoor play area!

Witloof is chicory in english; it's practically the national vegetable along with asparagus. They serve chicory wrapped in ham and cheese sauce - it's a bit more bitter then leeks.

There is a witloof museum somewhere near Everberg! With a giant witloof outside.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Ohh, sprouts I love them. I can't see the attraction of having them raw or cold though.
We only lived her for six weeks so I haven't come accross a wietloof (or however you spell it). What is it?
Will go to the supermarket on Saturday with DD, if you get there early enough there are bundles of free samples. DD stands for ages at the mussel bit [boak], I linger by the alcohol

[Portofino]

I was just going to say that we def had sprouting brocolli, but just remembered my friend brought it with her from her uk organic veg box......I wasn't sure what to do wit it

[scaryteacher]

The Kriek (cherry beer) is fab is the food here.

Porto, we took my nephews to the Mexican Bar and Grill at Overijse where the cold buffet/salads included sprout salad. My youngest nephew must have consumed at least 50 sprouts and didn't feel well when we went to the Grand Place the next day. He refused pizza, disappeared intot he restaurant where we were eating for about 15 minutes, and then reappeared and hoovered off all our plates. He still says two years on that he loved the sprout salad here.

Saw the first lot of sprouts in Carrefour on Saturday. Shame we never get sprouting broccoli here.

[Portofino]

Snobear - no smoking allowed in restaurants here any more

echt - imagine sprout pickes would clear you out totally!

[echt]

DH made some Brussels sprout pickles following an NZ recipe. The book recommended them as cocktail hors d'oeuvres. :o

[piscesmoon]

I hated sprouts as a DC but love them now and think that almost any veg can go in a salad.

[CardyMow]

Sprouts are the devils bogeys. End of.

[Snobear4000]

You can't taste the sprouts anyhow whilst passive-smoking toxic Belgian cigarettes.

[Serendippy]

Ditto with the mussels, next time GetOrf try peach beer, far superior!

OP, YANBU, although like some other posters I am quite taken by leftover sprouts and gravy, all cold, yum yum. But not disguised as salad, out and proud for all to see.

[Portofino]

I am always amazed by the trays at lunch. No way could I eat that much food at lunchtime! Well unless it was eaten slowly, accompanied by wine and followed by a lie down at least. I guess they just eat witloof or a spoonful of nutella in the evening....?

[belgo]

The belgians do love their vegetables. And cake. and chips.

In fact they love all food, so why are the women so slim?

[Portofino]

Kriek!

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Chips and mayonnaise. What's not to love about that?

Also had the best musselss ever in brussels (that is not a rhyming joke, the mussels were brilliant).

Also had some cherry flavoured beer, which was disgusting.

[Portofino]

There is some lovely Belgian food! Not just the waffles.

This recipe sounds good if you are feeling a little constipated.

[Hassled]

belgo - I didn't mean to cause offense - I was just scared off by the sprouts!

Is Belgian food better than German? Because much as I loved Berlin, and much as all the Germans I met there were great, the food was terrible. The nicest thing I ate was a pizza.

[Portofino]

Belgo Witloof is the foodstuff of the devil!

And I must just add that the cauli and brocolli, and sprouts for that matter, weren't raw, but COOKED, then served cold.

Bunny - that must do interesting things to her digestive system

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Raw cauliflower is really nice - chopped up and served with a dip.

Sprouts, either raw, cooked or coated in gold, are the work of a spectacularly farty little Imp and should be avoided at all times.

[belgo]

Hassled that is such a shame because the food here is fab! All restaurants are of a similar high standard; the belgians are very proud of their cooking.

[belgo]

I just knew this would be about Belgium!

We had a house warming party when we lived in Birmingham and my Flemish dh insisted on having raw cauliflower as a dip. My student friends got drunk and kept on throwing it at each other! They just wanted to eat the Pringles.

Have you had Witloof in a salad yet?

[BunnyLebowski]

A girl I work with eats an entire head of RAW broccoli dipped in hummus every evening on her break