Bite - Snowballs

August's grandson, Johnny Larmuseau, makes them now, according to the original recipe. "Our family's been producing snowballs for almost 100 years now," he tells me. "They're made from a soft filling coated in dark chocolate, which we also make ourselves, and covered in powdered sugar."

The filling is margarine that's been whipped to a light and fluffy consistency. Snowballs are concocted using only vegetable products, and there are no artificial additives, flavours or preservatives. In other words, it's an all-natural product.

Encased in a paper-thin layer of chocolate and a dusting of powdered sugar, the snowball literally melts in your mouth. For this reason, the candy is sometimes referred to as rotte patatten (rotten potatoes) in local dialect. But this description couldn't be further from the truth, as snowballs are silky smooth, sweet and an absolute pleasure to eat.

This also explains why they're seasonal - they simply melt when exposed to temperatures over 18°C. Look for them between September and the end of March in smaller shops and confectioners. "Snowballs could be found at the check-out counter of the corner store in every village, long before the introduction of candy bars," says Johnny. "They were meant to be a last-minute purchase - something to buy with your spare change."

Even today, don't expect to see them in the big supermarket chains. You'll find the little blue packages at some bakeries and small grocers, especially in and around Ghent and across East Flanders. The most well-known place to get your winter snowballs is at the charmingly old-fashioned sweet shop Temmerman in Ghent's Kraanlei.

Last year the Flemish Centre for Agriculture and Fishery Marketing (VLAM) honoured the snowball with an official regional product label.

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