Your senses get an immediate starter; with the entry ticket come two speculaas biscuits from the manufacturer Dandoy. This family-owned shop in Brussels has made its delicacies for almost two centuries, without changing its artisanal methods.

Not surprisingly, chocolate is also in plentiful supply with the brands Côte d’Or, Godiva and Pierre Marcolini.

But there is more than meets the tongue. Feel free to touch the lace made by Brussels’ traditional lacemaker Rubbrecht and to feast your eyes on the more colourful creations of fashion house Olivier Strelli. Most blinding is the jewellery by designers Tollet and Marie France. Most famous are the handbags of Delvaux, the world’s longest-standing luxury leather goods company.

There are surprises, even for a born and bred Belgian. After all the eye-candy, you’re overwhelmed by a delicious aroma that carries you away to the African plains. The scented candles of the Baobab Collection, inspired by the enchanting perfumes and intense colours of African landscapes, are the favourites of curator Stéphanie Reinart: “Everybody is always amazed that Baobab is Belgian. The brand is still quite young [from 2003], but it is already well known and popular internationally. It shows that Belgian know-how keeps producing new world standard products.”

Much of the attention is also drawn upon a bath, standing invitingly but empty in the middle of the exhibition. The piece is made by Aquamass, a European leader in the transformation of bathrooms into oases of well-being. You can even order a tailor-made model if you want a bathtub that really fits.

The Belgian standard-bearers in the presentation are Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, and the famous singer Jacques Brel, who in 2005 was voted “The Greatest Belgian” in history by the Belgian public. Through headphones you can listen to Brel singing about his beloved “plat pays” (“flat land”).

Though This is Belgium is marketed to the thousands of foreign tourists who wander around the Grote Markt every day, Reinart hopes to renew the love for the country in its native visitors. Amidst all the political turmoil, we hope to remind Belgians of what this small country has proven in its relatively short existence. ‘Made in Belgium’ is a quality label we should be more proud of ’,” she says.

One of Reinart’s main regrets, though, is that Flanders is underrepresented in the exhibition because of difficult negotiations. Indeed, there should be more to taste of Flanders than a Duvel in the concept store, where, among other products, you can buy the adventures of many comic heroes Tintin and Quick & Flupke. Or immerse yourself further in Belgian brands by reading the exhibition book This is Belgium. You can even do this in a couch proudly coloured black, yellow and red.

Until 25 August

House of the Dukes of Brabant
Grote Markt, Brussels
www.this-is-belgium.be