Since deep in the past, apple syrup has been produced in the Haspengouw region, the fruit-basket of Flanders that includes part of Limburg and of Flemish Brabant. While some varieties of apple can be laid away in a dark place to keep for a relatively long time, others cannot, and they would be cooked down until the fruit mass was no more than a thick, dark syrup, high in sugar.

After the pulp was removed to be used as a high-energy animal feed, the liquid part would be concentrated further by cooking, until the result was the product that has come down to us. Americans, particularly in the south, know this as apple butter (though it has no dairy content). Pears were added later, to increase the sugar content further. For every 100kg of fruit, about 10kg of syrup is produced.

The Bleus syrup factory in Borgloon, near Tongeren, was the 2007 winner of the Monument Competition, organised by TV channel Canvas and voted on by viewers. They’ve been producing apple and pear syrup there for six generations, and their product is one of the two to be awarded the Flemish Region’s seal of approval as a genuine streekproduct, or regional product.

Bleus apple syrup contains apples and pears in a 60-40 ratio and is available in pots of up to 4.5kg. Pear syrup reverses the ratio, and there’s also a range of other fruit syrups (cherry, quince and redcurrant, among others).

Apple syrup is sweet, certainly, but with a rich, dark depth and fruitiness that raises it above other sweet spreads; imagine the difference between ordinary wine vinegar and good balsamic. For those of us who aren’t too drawn to sweet sandwiches, another traditional use is as an addition to savoury dishes like stoofvlees (beef stew), where it brings an extra dimension to a slow-cooked dish. The streekproduct website provides a few recipes.

Apple and pear syrups are also produced by Vrolingen in Wellen, between Borgloon and Hasselt, where the factory dates back to 1843. Their pear syrup contains 90% pears, and there’s also a pouring syrup made from pears alone, for pancakes, say, or as an ice-cream topping.

www.streekproduct.be