The Flemish TV chef is praised for promoting not only the local Brussels dialect, Brussels, but also its traditional dish, stoemp. A hodgepodge of mashed potatoes, veggies and meat of choice, stoemp is a perfect autumn and winter dish and a lifetime favourite of yours truly (ask my mum).
(Note: The word hodgepodge is actually a derivative of the Dutch hutsepot, a type of stoemp with carrots, onions and lard.)
Brussels is a variety of Brabants, once an influential Dutch dialect. Laden with French words, it’s still spoken in parts of Flanders and the Netherlands.
Ei kreig va zainen adversaire ne coup d'tête in zain moegt. Or, Hij kreeg van zijn tegenstander een kopstoot in zijn maag. He got a headbut in his stomach from his opponent.
Brussels was widely spoken until the end of the 19th century, when it became socially fashionable to speak French and not-done to speak local dialects. Today, it is on the verge of extinction.
Walk through the alleys of the Marollen, the neighbourhood of Toots Thielemans and Hergé’s Quick en Flupke, and you might still be able to catch a fluttering phrase or two – especially if you happen to get a sandwich boudin from Charlotte on the Vossenplein.
But there is hope on the horizon for local dialects everywhere, which are experiencing somewhat of a rebirth. This Friday, for example, marks the beginning of the eighth Weik van ’t Brussels, Week van het Brussels, Week of the Brussels Dialect. Its slogan this year: Brussels dialekt es tof! Brussels dialect is cool!
In a sign of Brussels logic, the festivities will start in Ghent with a performance of the Brussels Volkstejoêter, the Brussels People’s Theatre. All other events will take in place in Brussels, ranging from a food fest to an academic lecture, from theatre to conversation tables. Verdeyen will cook stoemp and sign his new book during the weekend of 19 November.
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