eat!Brussels 2014 once again had several gourmet delights in store for visitors

  eat!Brussels, the festival of Brussels restaurants, set up its tables in Bois de la Cambre from 11 to 14 September 2014. Ten international partners of the Brussels-Capital Region also demonstrated their culinary prowess.   For three years now eat!Brussels has been synonymous with fun and food. For three days Brussels foodies of all ages can sample a wide range of cuisines, whether local or more exotic. Brussels International every year invites partners from all over the world to present their specialities here, with the support of the regional Minister of External Relations. Ten cities, provinces and regions responded to the invitation this year while the wine producers of Bordeaux were also in the spotlight.   AFRICA The Province of Katanga Several Congolese cooks invited the public to sample their everyday dishes, such as the traditional chicken moambe, with plantains. The Region of Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër Deliciously fragrant tagines and couscous, small Moroccan cakes, mint tea: people enjoyed several fingerlickingly good delicacies at the stand of Samraa caterers from Rabat.   AMERICA Quebec The chefs of Québec Exquis, Vincent Lafortune and Christophe Alary, were the perfect ambassadors for their province, treating visitors to a parmentier of game braised with beer or maple syrup rolls, with cream and a blueberry compote.   ASIA Beijing The traditional Peking duck revealed its complexity and the refined flavours of the Chinese capital’s cuisine to the people of Brussels. Beijing was represented by the National Convention Centre. Szechuan Province The region which is famous for its spicy food really succeeded in surprising visitors with the authenticity and the subtlety of its flavours. As was the case in previous years the famous Daronghe restaurant of Chengdu was on hand to let people sample their cuisine.   EUROPE The Region of Bratislava The Farského catering school let us taste the savoury “bryndzove halusky” (potato dumplings with sheep’s cheese and bacon) and pirohy (a type of ravioli). The Region of Ile-de-France The region was represented by the “Centre régional de valorisation et d’innovation agricole et alimentaire” (Cervia, the regional centre for food promotion and innovation), which let visitors sample various local products: Parisian-style chicken, a tart with Brie and bacon and cheese from Brie. Ljubljana Gostlina Na Gradu, one of the best restaurants in Slovenia, succeeded in pleasing Brussels palates with its tasty and diverse traditional cuisine. Dishes we tasted included tarragon struklji and sausage from Carniole (Kranjska). Mazovia Province Mazovia was represented by the Zigler Group and its cuisine is just as generous as its people. Visitors were able to try fried trout stuffed with vegetables and roasted pork loan stuffed with sun-dried prunes. Sofia The company Sofiyska Banitsa let us discover banitsa, tiny puff pastries that are filled with cheese and herbs or apples and grapes, which are so tasty that the flavours simply explode in your mouth.   CHOCOLATE AND CRICKETS ON THE STAND OF THE BRUSSELS REGION The stand of the Brussels-Capital Region was at once iconic, fun, innovative and forward-looking. Choco-Story, a Brussels institution dedicated to the promotion of quality Belgian chocolate, joined forces with the fledgling company Little Food, which markets crickets. Brussels International consequently succeeded in surprising many visitors with an original live cooking demo. The more adventurous who enjoy a real thrill had the opportunity to taste some chocolate with crickets! The gourmet village of the partners of the Brussels-Capital Region: an excellent opportunity to experience a variety of flavours from all over the world without leaving Brussels. Join us in September 2015 for the fourth edition of eat!Brussels!   Further information: eat!Brussels festival, Brussels International, Two loyal visitors share their enthusiasm (interview)