Reminder of Belgium

waffle from a waffle truck located near Grand Place Brussels

During our trip to Brussels, we got waffles from the street cart nearly everyday for a snack. I love food from street carts and mobile trucks. I like this type of food because the trucks and carts usually only offer one type of food, so they can do that one type of food well. And of course, while in Brussels, Belgium, we were going to get our fill of Belgian waffles. The mobile truck selling waffles near Grand Place sold Liege style waffles. Liege style waffles are smaller, sweeter and denser than Belgian waffles. The Liege style waffle design is perfect for holding it in your hand while walking around and looking at the sights.

There are a few things I think about that trigger good memories of our trip to Brussels, and they are Belgian frites, the lovely hotel on Grand Place where we stayed, and the Liege style waffles.

Taste of Belgium
Nashville Farmers Market
near Gardens of Babylon
on the Bicentennial Mall side
(currently here, may move somewhere else)

UPDATE!! Taste of Belgium has moved to a MUCH BETTER LOCATION!
ToB is now in the walkway between the front farm shed and the main building.
Also, a plus the loud generator is gone because they can plug into an outlet now.

I came home from work one day a couple weeks ago, and the Man said, "We are getting Belgian Waffles Liege style from the food truck." I perked up, and I said, "Where and When!"

Why yes, there is a new food truck in town, it is Taste of Belgium. The Taste of Belgium is run by a guy who really likes Liege style waffles. His approach to a food truck is to park it at the Nashville Farmer's Market, and see who comes, rather than roaming around town like some other Nashville food trucks. On occasion, I believe he is going to move the truck on the roads of Nashville to offer this treat. But, for the time being, the powers-that-be at the Nashville Farmers Market gave him a semi-crappy spot in a "dead zone" of the market. There is a spot out side the end of the back farm shed where no one goes to, and that is where the Nashville Farmers Market powers told him to set up. It is kind of hard to find, it is almost uncomfortable to walk back there, but it is worth while to find Nashville's only Liege style waffle maker.

Liege style waffle from Taste of Belgium truck

in Nashville

During the Taste of Belgium's first week at the Nashville Farmers Market set up, we went to get a taste of these waffles. It took me two trips to the market to find this truck because he was stuck in such a "no man's land". The second trip was with the Man who has eagle eyes, and he spotted an edge of the truck far off in the distance through the other vendor's wares. I couldn't see it, but as we walked closer, it became clear to me that there was the food truck there.

We got our waffles hot off the waffle iron. We got the waffles plain, just like we did in Brussels, Belgium. Comparing our Brussels waffle and our Nashville Waffle, we think they are different. The Nashville waffle is a couple notches more dense and more sweet than the Brussels waffles. The Nashville waffle was more bready than the Brussels waffle. The Nashville waffle wasn't as crisp on the outside as the Brussels one. Also, mine was not cooked evenly where parts were cooked but bready on the outside, and parts were a slightly singed and crispy (which I like!), which is an equipment issue, not a dough issue. The sugar pearls seemed to be slightly larger, harder, and stickier than the ones used in Brussels. The Brussels waffle seemed to have smaller sugar pearls that gave the waffle a little crunch. The Brussels waffle was slightly more caramelized than than the Nashville waffle, which gave the Brussels waffle a different type of sweetness, aroma and flavor. So, the Nashville waffle is in some ways different from the Brussels waffle we enjoyed everyday, but that is ok because the Taste of Belgium - Nashville waffle is still fun sweet treat you can't get anywhere else in Tennessee, and you can enjoy these waffles everyday too.

Here is my suggestion for the Taste of Belgium - Nashville treat. Go to the Nashville Farmers Market and seek out the truck before you do anything. Get your breakfast waffle and walk around the market seeing what you can see while snacking on the waffle. Run your errands, get your produce, cheese, milk, meat, eggs, lunch inside the main building, and perhaps some hot peppers from the pepper sauce shop. Then, en route to buying your plants at Gardens of Babylon, stop by the Taste of Belgium truck again, and get your dessert waffle before heading into Gardens of Babylon to buy your plants and gardening supplies.