Although you’ll find plenty of chances to cook and eat, the Week van de Smaak is particularly impressive for the sheer number of genres: film, exhibitions, readings, walks and tours inundate all of your senses, bringing every aspect of food to sensual life.
Although the programme is about as diverse as it gets, there are two facts that require your attention: Turkey is the guest country this year, and Leuven is 2009’s “city of flavour”. This gives you two convenient ways to choose from the massive schedule of events: go to Leuven, and eat Turkish (see sidebars).
You can also choose activities by province: the event is so big that every province has its own programme. So in your local market or sandwich shop, you’ll find your own province’s programme. But on the website you’ll find everything – from beer and cheese evenings in Antwerp to eating like a Roman in Limburg to a musical brunch in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe.
“Flavour inspires and binds,” says Flemish culture minister Joke Schauvliege. “A very broad participation is a good thing: that is one of the priorities in my policies. Flavour brings people together.”
The event certainly does offer enough to appeal to even those who think a good meal is a plate of fish sticks – namely, children, who are offered EETiKET, an unrivalled food culture programme for kids, which lets them take part in most of what adults are doing during Week van de Smaak – but tailored just for them. Schools, restaurants and museums are participating, and Davidsfonds publisher is presenting a new cookbook, just for little ones from three to seven.
Where there are kids, there is a godparent, and this year’s annual honour has been bestowed upon master chef Felix Alen, owner of the reception and catering business Hof te Rhode in Diest. As the “godfather” of the Week van de Smaak, he has personally approved every single event, plays host to eight guest chefs and makes endless appearances – including a “cooking duel” against amateur cooks in Leuven on 13 November and at the Turkish Bazaar in his own city the following day.
Whatever you choose to do for the next 11 days, eet smakelijk.
In Dutch, the verb smaken means “to taste”, and the noun smaak means both “taste” and “flavour” – plus stands in for a few more words, like “palate” and “savour”. So, whereas in English, we “taste” a “flavour”, in Dutch the words are one and the same, giving the title “Week van de Smaak” several layers of meaning: an emphasis both on the food and the humans, and both on the science of tasting and the emotion of enjoying.
You’ve noticed how cuisine in Flanders can change between provinces and major cities, right? So imagine what that regional diversity must be like in a country the size of Turkey, with culinary traditions that stretch back to the Ottoman Empire. During the Week van de Smaak, master chefs from Turkey will present both contemporary and traditional dishes, bazaars will present cooking wares, and culture experts will talk about Turkish eating rituals and the country’s quintessential coffee. There are about 300 opportunities to discover Turkish food, including:
Turkish Brunch in the Mining Museum
Many Turkish families came to the Limburg town of Beringen in the early 20th century to work in the mines. Turkish guest chefs Serkan Bozkurt and Serdar Özkan will serve you lunch, backed by Turkish musicians. A tour of the mines follows. 15 November
Turkish Bread Battle
Four chefs from different regions of Turkey are split into two teams: who can make the tastiest dish with Turkish bread in 2,000 seconds? Cheer for your favourite team, and taste the final results at Cafe Via Via in Antwerp. 15 November
Turkish specialities
Learn how to set a proper table for Turkish tea and even how to bake their buttery, nutty pastries at GC Amfi in Landen. 19 November
Turkish Wine Tasting
Even if you know nothing about wine, you’re invited to take part in this tasting and discussion of Turkish wines, led by wine steward Ilse Notebaert at the Volkskring Hall in Deinze. 13 November
Theatre Turkish style
Did you know that croissants have their roots in Turkey? Learn this and more during this musical theatre outing by Josette Van Hooydonck and Griet De Meyer in the Bakery Museum in Veurne. 13 & 14 November
More than 70 venues in Leuven are whipping up something to celebrate their home being selected as the official host city of the Week van de Smaak. Since Leuven is not terribly big, this means it will be tough to visit it without running into something smaak related. Most notably:
A Sweet Pint of Beer
It’s the Belgians versus the Mesopotamians in that age-old struggle: who makes the best beer? Apparently, the peoples of the ancient empire comprising Iraq and parts of Syria and Turkey were quite the brewers, as evidenced by written techniques on stone tablets. Professors from the Catholic University of Leuven explain it all. 19 November
Fresh goodies with a side of story
The T-huisje in Leuven is always brimming with babble and baked goods, but during the Week van de Smaak, you get an extra babble in the form of storytelling, from poetry to Greek mythology to stories about…wait for it…food. 13-21 November
Demonstrations in the Muntstraat
Cooking demonstrations, that is, in Leuven’s resident restaurant street, which sits in the shadow of its landmark Gothic town hall. A number of restaurants invite you inside for demonstrations, including “Healthy Japanese” and “How to Make Cocktails”. Samples included, of course. 12-19 November
Ode to a fry
The closing event of the Week van de Smaak merges the guest country with the focus city and the food to end all Belgian food: the friet. Long known as “the city of the freitkoten” because of the sheer number of French fry sellers in the student city, Leuven lines them all up in the Oude Markt and offers up a new blend of sauces by local chef Jeroen Meus. Next to that is a Turkish topping made of beans, nuts and seeds. If it doesn’t rain, this should prove to be a highlight of the Week van de Smaak. 22 November
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