Last sunday, my boyfriend and I headed to Dinant to get a bit of the holiday feeling. Forests, rivers, Ardennes, tasty specialities. We didn’t ask for more. So if you plan on going there too, this is what you should not miss:
The Couque. You’ll find it in quite a few shops in the center. It is a cake made from flour and honey, baked during a short time at a very high temperature. You can keep it forever as it’s really dry. Many shapes exist, we left with a fish. Don’t even try to bite into it except if you plan to loose a tooth. Just break it – if you manage in less than 10 minutes, and suck it until it gets softer. It has a nice flavour, and it’s still quite a funny experience.
Ham and sausages from the Ardennes. Generally, both are smoked, the sausage is more spicy with an more intense taste. Don’t try the copy that is only a bad quality smoked ham, always buy the real one which is a protected product (AOC).
The flamiche pie. Made from a local cheese – boulette de Romedenne – mixed with butter and eggs. Run away from it if you have cholesterol, are on a diet, don’t like the stinky taste, or have a date with someone afterwards. Personally, I enjoyed it. But when you enter in a bakery to buy it, it already smells heavily like cheese. When you taste it, it’s pretty powerful. I had the feeling of a cheese fondue taste but in a much stronger way. A bit of green cheese aftertaste. It was paradise for my French genes… A bit less for my boyfriend who found it simply too intense.
The local beer. Caracole. It is an amber beer but still fresh. Hoppy caramelized. Really pleasant to drink once you’re back home.
