In the following centuries under Spanish Habsburg rule, numerous ingredients that came from the New World were shipped via Seville to Antwerp. Among these were oranges, saffron and cocoa beans.

"Belgians' love for chocolate, as well as for the rijstpap dessert [a rice porridge with milk and saffron] probably dates back to this time," says Nathalie Parys, a doctoral student in social and cultural food studies at the Free University of Brussels (VUB).

Dirk De Prins, Flemish star chef and editor-in-chief of Ambiance magazine, recalls another Spanish influence from that period. "It's called escabeche," he tells me, "a fish dish that is today considered to be both a Belgian and a Spanish speciality".

But the Spanish did much more than that, says Parys. They also brought green vegetables to the rest of western Europe, which started to appear in Dutch-language cookbooks in the 16th century. The same happened with jam and syrup, coming from Spain and Italy via France. By the 17th century, entire Spanish dishes, as opposed to mere ingredients, penetrated the region.

The real breakthrough, though, came 300 years later. As a result of increasing trade, migration and travel, "exotic" restaurants were established in 1960s Belgium, Spanish restaurants among them. Though not particularly refined, they were a starting point. The emerging ethnic trend was also supported by supermarkets that started to increase their selection of ingredients.

In the 1970s, traditional Spanish recipes such as paella and gazpacho started to appear in cookbooks, under the heading of exotic recipes. But Parys cautions: "These were not Spanish recipes through-and-through; they were adapted to the Flemish taste."

By the 1980s, dishes began to make their way into the mainstream, appearing under traditional headings. So gazpacho, for instance, appeared simply under "soups", and paella under "rice".

In the last 20 years in Flanders, as with the rest of western Europe, people suddenly became immensely interested in different eating cultures. They wanted to learn not only about the dishes but also about the story behind them. This brought along the quest for authenticity. Dutch-language cookbooks started to mention relatively unknown Spanish dishes such as the centuries-old stew olla podrida because people were looking for recipes that hadn't been altered or adapted over time.

"People want to eat a particular dish at home as they would do it on holiday," says Parys. "They don't want to adapt the dishes to local tastes anymore. They go for the real thing."

Both Parys and De Prins think that Flanders is strong on Spanish dishes. "You know, we are quite obsessed with cooking," smiles De Prins, "so when we cook, we want to do it well."

Parys also points out that Belgian cuisine has lately become very preoccupied with going back to its
roots. "So on the one hand there is an interest in traditional Belgian dishes and, on the other, in authentic foreign cuisine and its innovative trends. The two don't mix anymore like in the 1970s."

Both food experts attribute the popularity of Spanish food and wine here to two things: Spain has been the number one holiday destination for Belgians since the 1960s, and there is a substantial Spanish community here, as a result of the civil war.

It would be, in any discussion of Spanish cuisine, impossible not to mention tapas, all the rage among hipsters and bureaucrats alike. De Prins, who is hosting discussions and tastings of Spanish food and wine during Week van de Smaak, says the reason is obvious: "You can eat very little or a lot of it, depending on your appetite. It also offers a big variety of dishes."

De Prins' favourite Spanish restaurant, by the way, is La Cueva de Castilla in the Brussels commune of Schaerbeek, run by brothers Roberto and Javier Ponte. De Prins has much praise for their creative spin on traditional Spanish dishes.

Week Van de Smaak
Week van de Smaak, or Week of Taste, the annual celebration of all things culinary, goes on until this Sunday across Flanders and Brussels. Of the hundreds of events, we chose a few that focus on the festival's guest country.

Meet Flemish celebrity chef Dirk De Prins, one of the members of the jury on the TV series Mijn Restaurant!, at the Boortmeerbeek library in Flemish Brabant on the evening of 18 November for a talk on Spanish wines. And a tasting, of course.

Combine culinary enjoyment with education in three different restaurants - 't Boothuis in Massenhoven- Zandhoven, Antwerp province; Zarza in Leuven; and Tapa Tapa in Alveringen, West Flanders. The special set menu is influenced by classic Spanish dishes and ingredients and comes with a brochure explaining all about Spain's influence on Flemish cuisine and a culinary quiz, complete with prizes.

Few parts of the country are more Spanish than the area around Brussels' South Station, where in the 1950s immigrant workers from Spain stepped off the train and bus and settled in the area. Hans Vandecandelaere and Jeroen De Smet, authors othe book Midi del Sur, host a food-based tour on 19 November.

Catalonia's annual Castanyadas festival on 1 November features roasted chestnuts and sweet wine. In Lochristi, just outside Ghent, the date is 19 November, and you can enjoy a range of chestnuts dishes in the city's library.

For an evening of Spanish cuisine on 17 November in Sint-Truiden, you're warned not to forget your potato peeler and tea towel because you'll be getting to know the dishes from the inside out. In groups of four, participants will make their own Spanish menu, with some tapas for sure, and a glass of cava to make it all flow smoothly.

Finally, you may not associate Spain with tea, but according to the library of Ypres, the drink came to us via the Moorish invasion of Spain, the Muslims having picked up the habit from the Chinese. On 18 November, it's an evening of tea lore and the chance to take part in a genuine North African tea ceremony, all for €5. — Alan Hope

www.weekvandesmaak.be