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Epiphany. Baking traditional waffles

Why I like to go to the market

About stories at the stall, our waffle stalls, and the history of waffles and market stalls. That is what ‘Epiphany. Baking traditional waffles’ is about.

Tomorrow is epiphany, or three kings day, or waffle day. Baking traditional waffles that day is part of it.

Three Kings Day. Waffle day.

A little trip close to home

The market is not only working yourself through a shopping list, it is a trip. A little trip, so to speak, close to home. And you often meet someone you know. You have a short chat. Or you exchange news between the stalls.

Everyone has their own fixed places. The tripe stall always attracts a long line of visitors; the Zeeland fish stall is also popular. I think the vegetable stall market vendors are cute. They shout loudly to you what they have to offer.

We skip the tripe and usually go to the chicken stall, for a roast chicken.

Sometimes we also stop for some herbs or some fruit. And although the market may seem a bit more expensive than the supermarket, you are guaranteed quality. At the market you still find fruit that tastes like the past.

A confidential moment

When we tell a vendor that our purchases are intended for the daughters, the seller bends over to us confidentially. His children are no longer together with their partner, he whispers.

You can see that he suffers. That reminds me of all those grandparents who don’t see their grandchildren as often as they would like to. These are strange times.

Stories at the waffle stand

You will also find that openness at the waffle stand. That’s our first stop on the market. While you wait for your waffle to come out of the iron nicely browned, you often get a story to go with it.

A waffle seller once told us about a man who had caught his wife in adultery. That is why he had denied her access to the house. But she had a spare key and had slipped in unseen and had thrown all his clothes out through the windows. Out of revenge.

Well… A woman who feels shortchanged can come out unexpectedly.

And admit it: when you bake waffles all day, you probably hear one thing and another.

Our regular waffle stalls: Roesje and Romeo

For example, we have two waffle stalls that we always go to in turn: Roesje and Romeo. Each with their own style and their own waffle. It’s just what you prefer.

They bake Belgian waffles as they are supposed to be: Brussels, Liège and vanilla waffles, and you can find them at markets in different cities.

The real market waffle

What they bake are not trendy waffles with a thousand toppings like you find in the cities today. At most, a hint of powdered sugar.

They are old market waffles. Firm, buttery, crispy but still with a soft core. And not too sweet. Waffles that also stay tasty when they cool down.

Craftsmanship

That is not a coincidence, but craftsmanship.

Market vendors know: no yeast, a thick batter, real butter, plenty of rest time and a good hot iron. The smell of vanilla and melted butter does the rest. Because scent sells. They already knew that a hundred years ago.

I have always had great admiration for people who master a profession. And do it with pleasure. Like the waffle vendor.

The History of Waffles and Markets

The history of the waffle goes back a long way. Usually you read that they originated in the Middle Ages, other voices go back much further in time.

Originally, waffles were party food that you could easily hold in your hand. They were baked by mothers and grandmothers, on cast iron plates over the fire. You sometimes still see such plates in folk museums.

In the 19th century, they moved outside, to places where people were, such as markets and fairs.

This is when the waffle stalls were created. Family businesses, with secret recipes that were passed on from generation to generation, because the children grew up with the trade. In this way, the craft remained alive.

Whether the children of the 21st century will continue the craft of their fathers and mothers is uncertain. Although, you never know if old crafts will become hip again.

In any case, the Belgian Waffle is known worldwide. The Belgian waffle is a collective name that is mainly used in America. Belgian waffles became known in the sixties after a world exhibition.

This can be a light Brussels waffle or a strong Liège waffle with pearl sugar. One name, different traditions.

The syrup waffles of our northern neighbors follow in their wake. They have served as a universal welcome gift in the Dutch docuseries Ik Vertrek for years.

A day in the life of a waffle vendor

“That One Is For The Devil”

A day of a waffle stand starts early. Sometimes at four or five o’clock in the morning. The stall is unloaded, the irons are prepared, the batter is made in large bowls. Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk. Mixed by hand, covered with a cloth. “Then the taste comes in”.

The first waffle is never for sale. “That one is for the devil”, against misfortune.

But from the second on, the rhythm is found: grease, bake, wait, turn. Not too fast, not too slow. And stay focused. “If you talk, you bake badly”.

Competition

Of course there is competition, but it is quiet. No shouting, no undercutting. Sometimes subtle scent wars are fought, with just a little more vanilla in the air.

Real market people help each other in the event of a breakdown, keep each other’s place free in case of illness and show respect when someone stops. Competitors, yes. But first colleagues.

Why I keep coming

I like to go to the market for all those things together. For the little stories, the people, the smell you recognize when you approach. For my waffle stands.

Okay, I hear you say: how does this fit into my attempt to eat healthy?

You’re right, but one of the speakers in his podcast about healthy eating says that you have to make choices. Do this, but always with the ultimate goal in mind.

And that goal remains. That’s why I don’t eat two. Healthy living doesn’t have to be perfect at all.

Waffles and traditions in Belgium

Why this article about waffles? It’s no coincidence. The period around New Year is a time when many waffles are baked.

New Year

First there is New Year, the most important waffle day in Belgium and parts of the Netherlands. On New Year’s day, the family comes together and recipes from (great) grandmothers are followed. “As long as the waffles are warm, the year will stay good”.

Three Kings Day

Tomorrow is also such a day: January 6, Epiphany Day. In many families, waffles will be baked tomorrow.

Easter, fairs, fairs

Waffles are also traditionally baked at Easter, at commemorations of patron saints and during fairs and fairs . At fairs you can sometimes still find those beautiful market trucks, where they sell smoutebollen and sugar apples in addition to waffles.

International Waffle Day

There is even an international Waffle Day on March 25. It originally originated in Sweden, but is celebrated worldwide today.

Epiphany: baking traditional waffles according to grandma

But first the day on which waffles have symbolized a warm and good start to the year for centuries, Three Kings Day.

Tomorrow I’ll bake them myself. After all, I am a grandmother. In search of a reliable recipe, I end up at Goda Grandma’s Recipes. A recipe that feels like it has been around for generations.

Recipe

It’s a very simple recipe: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk. Comfort food in its purest form.

You can find the recipe here

Why Waffles Keep Connecting

The next time you bake waffles, you’ll realize why waffle stands persist.

Not because they are hip, but because they connect. Like in the comics of Nero, where Marc Sleen often ended the adventure with a waffle bake.

By the way, did you know that Nero is Ghent through and through? In Nero’s many adventures, we often recognize parts of Ghent. We also see typical Ghent figures who are performed with a lot of humor.

An old market waffle is pure memory.

And a homemade waffle on Epiphany? That is a tribute to our mothers and grandmothers.

P.S. : make a note of January 6 and March 25 in your calendar.

You can find more of these stories on my site under my stories.

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Emma