Liège & Wallonia, Belgium

Belgium

Liège is the largest city in Wallonia, Belgium's French-speaking southern region, sitting at the confluence of the Meuse and Ourthe rivers. The city has a distinct culinary identity built around its working-class Outremeuse district, which claims ownership of several regional specialities including the boudin blanc de Liège. What separates the Liège version from other white sausages is a seasoning of marjoram, a herb that grows in the Ardennes hills and appears in Liège cooking in a way it does not elsewhere in Belgium. The boudin blanc here is made from minced white pork and veal, bound with eggs and cream, seasoned with marjoram and white pepper, and cooked gently before being grilled or pan-fried to order. Liège is also the home of the Liège waffle, gaufre de Liège, and the city's street food culture — warm, dense, and unpretentious — runs through both.