The World’s 50 Best Restaurants event programme lands in Antwerp, Flanders between 3rd and 5th October 2021. Get to know the host region with these bitesize foodie and cultural facts, compiled by 50 Best Academy Chair for the Benelux region Willem Asaert and his historian father, 92-year-old Antwerpian Gustaaf Asaert
1. First, let’s talk geography: Flanders is the northern state of Belgium where Dutch is the official language. Wallonia is in the south of Belgium, where French is spoken. In the eastern part, a rather small cohort of Belgians speak German. Belgium became an independent country with a constitutional monarchy in 1830.
2. Frieten (fries), nearly always accompanied by mayonnaise, is the national dish of Belgium. They are baked at home, served in restaurants and preferably ordered from frietkoten (chip shops) which are recognised as a cultural heritage by the Flemish authorities.
Frieten with mayonnaise is the national dish of Belgium
3. Flanders is well-known for its annual music festivals such as Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland and Pukkelpop, drawing guests from all over the world. Flemish DJ brothers Dimitri Vegas and Mike Like were listed as number one performers in in 2015 and 2019 in the yearly DJ Mag Top 100.
4. Antwerp is ‘the diamond capital of the world’, so a wander through the diamond district in the area surrounding Central Station with its many international diamond bourses is a great idea for anyone with an eye for precious stones. A visit to the brilliantly acronymed ‘DIVA’ (a museum dedicated to diamonds, jewellery and silver) would equally suit those with a penchant for the finer things in life.
The annual music festival, Tomorrowland, takes place in Flanders
5. Diamonds are indeed forever: Since World War II, Antwerp has seen world record values of diamonds traded. The winning year was 2018, where $46bn was sold, followed by $37bn in 2019.
6. Flanders does not have its own soccer team, but it does supply most of the players for the Belgium national team that is currently ranked No.1 in the world.
7. According to The New York Times, Antwerp is one of the coolest and ‘most surprising’ cities in the world.
A city street in Antwerp, Flanders
8. Food Meets Talent by S.Pellegrino – the event taking place at 11:30 CET on 4th October as part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants event programme – will be held at Antwerp’s iconic Zuiderpershuis, one of the world’s first hydraulic power stations, which powered the port of Antwerp for many years.
9. Chocolate is a vital export for Belgium, both in pralines, bars and piecework. Flanders has more than 100 artisanal chocolatiers, many of which work according to the 'bean-to-bar' principle, which means that chocolate is made from scratch by roasting, grinding and refining cacao beans into the delicious finished product.
10. Since 1981, Flanders has had its own government with a prime minister and its own parliament within the federal state of Belgium.
The town hall in Antwerp, Flanders. The region has its own government and prime minister
11. On the UNESCO World Heritage List there are 13 Flemish beguinages, which are architectural complexes where religious women could live in community without taking vows or without complete retiring from the world. Visit these key pieces of Flemish heritage for free in Antwerp, Rodestraat 39.
12. With 7.5 million inhabitants (the same as Hong Kong) on 13,682 km2, Flanders (about the same size as Montenegro, The Bahamas or the state of Connecticut) is one of the most urbanised areas in the world.
13. The Flemish beer culture has been part of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO since 2016. In terms of drinks, Flanders is best known for its pilsner, regional beers and Trappist beers.
14. The 1920 Olympic Games were held in Antwerp, where 29 countries and 2,679 athletes (2,601 men and 78 women) competed. The former Olympic Stadium is still used as the ground of local football team Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen.
Sporting events take place in Antwerp's stadium, the sportpaleis
15. Regula Ysewijn, the host of #50BestTalks, which will take place in Stokers, Antwerp on 3rd October, is a Flanders native. Her recipe and food history books Pride and Pudding, Belgian Café Culture and Oats in the North have received international acclaim.
16. In cycling, the Tours of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen) is considered the most prestigious one-day race in the annual calendar. Flemish cyclist Eddy Merckx is also widely considered the greatest rider of all time.
Many cyclists race in the Tours of Flanders
17. The historical poem In Flanders Fields was inspired by the World War I’s Battle of Ypres, Belgium. The poem led to the symbol of the poppy being inaugurated for all wartime remembrances.
18. The best view over the city of Antwerp can be enjoyed on the open-air top terrace of the MAS museum (Museum aan de Stroom), a platform that is free to access.
The Museum aan de Stroom is the largest museum in Antwerp
19. Unlike other neighbouring central European countries, tipping is welcome in Belgium’s restaurants and bars. A fair tip represents roughly 10% of the final cheque.
20. The nickname for residents of Antwerp is ‘sinjoren’. In the 17th century, the people were given this name by those in Amsterdam and the northern Netherlands because of their higher standard of living, self-awareness, fashionable clothing, and, some say, arrogant demeanor.
Poppies grow in Flanders' fields, marking the Battle of Ypres in World World I
21. At 123m high, Our Lady's Tower at the cathedral in Antwerp is the highest church tower in the Low Countries. It took 169 years to build this Gothic beauty, which hosts four famous masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, who is arguably Flanders’ most famous son.
22. Speaking of whom, a market dedicated to Rubens takes place in the heart of Antwerp every July. Vendors dress in 17th-century clothing and get into the medieval vibe. Rubens House, now a museum and gallery, is also an essential waypoint on any trip to Antwerp.
Our Lady's Tower is the highest church tower in the Low Countries
23. Mussels with frieten is the archetypal Flemish delicacy – in every village or city there is a restaurant that serves this combo. Curiously, the majority of mussels come from the waters of Zeeland, a Dutch province that borders Flanders.
24. The Boerentoren, built in 1930, was the first skyscraper in Europe and at that time also the tallest building in the continent (obviously).
25. Antwerp is a city renowned for high fashion and couture, thanks in the main to The Antwerp Six, a group of fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1980 and 1981. The creations of Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee are acclaimed worldwide and there are boutiques dotted across the city.
The Boerentoren was the first skyscraper in Europe
26. Flanders has the greatest number of castles per square mile in the world.
27. Well-known local delicacies include sausage bread, which is traditionally enjoyed on Lost Monday (first Monday after the Epiphany in the Catholic calendar), Elixir d'Anvers and roggeverdoemeke, a very tasty, dark moist bread full of raisins.
Sausage bread is enjoyed on Lost Monday in Flanders
28. Built in the 19th century, Antwerp Central Railway station is considered one of the most beautiful in its genre worldwide and is described by afficionados as a ‘railway cathedral’. A visit immediately makes clear why.
29. Flanders has more than 100 Michelin-starred restaurants, including two with three stars: Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem and Zilte in Antwerp.
30. Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest in the world and has been committed to protecting endangered species since 1843.
Antwerpen-Centraal is Antwerp's main railway station
31. The best view of Antwerp’s buildings is available from the left bank, across the Scheldt, via a pedestrian tunnel that connects the old city centre with the other side. There is also a ferry at the Steen to help get around. Photographers, come armed.
32. Loved by many; hated by others, the polarising vegetable the Brussels sprout found its genesis in Flanders.
Brussel sprouts are native to Belgium
33. During World War II, Antwerp was the first city on the continent to be shelled by bombs and rockets from the German Luftwaffe.
34. In the Antwerp Chocolate Nation museum, you can interactively experience and taste the entire evolution from cocoa to chocolate, and plantation to boutique. It is the largest Belgian chocolate museum in the world.
Flanders hosts the largest Belgian chocolate museum in the world
35. The guild houses on Antwerp's Grote Markt evoke the glorious past of Antwerp from the 15th and 16th centuries. However, the buildings you find here are actually replicas, built in the 19th century.
36. Since the interwar period, Antwerp has seen a great growth in Chinese restaurants, which were initially opened to feed Chinese sailors. As such, since the 1970, the city has had a modest but vibrant Chinatown (close to the Central Railway station).
Antwerp's Chinatown is located near its railway station
37. The harbour docks are closed off from the tidal Scheldt by vast locks, two of which - Berendrechtsluis and Zandvlietsluis - are among the largest in the world.
38. Thomas Gresham, a 16th-century English merchant and financier, was so impressed by the efficient operation of the Antwerp Trade Exchange that it inspired him to found the London Royal Exchange in 1571.
39. Over the past decade, Flanders has developed a strong cocktail bar scene with several venues that feature in the 50 Best Discovery collection. Essential places to imbibe in Antwerp are Sips, Bar Burbure, BelRoy's Bijou and BelRoy's MAS. Outside Antwerp, check out Jiggers in Ghent and The Pharmacy in Knokke.
A cocktail served at Jiggers cocktail bar in Ghent
40. In 1993, Antwerp was the ninth European city to take the mantle of European Capital of Culture.
41. The district Eilandje (small island) around the first harbour docks built in the early 19th century has numerous new restaurants set in former warehouses that have been given a new lease of life. MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) by Neutelings Riedijk Architecten and Havenhuis (‘Porthouse’) by architect Zaha Hadid are two iconic buildings that mark the area.
42. Flanders has a brewing tradition of brewing that dates back to the Middle Ages, where beer was made by monks in Trappist monasteries. Today Trappist beers form a separate category. There are only 12 monasteries in the world where beer is still brewed, two of which are in Flanders (Westmalle and Westvleteren) and three in Wallonia (Chimay, Orval and Rochefort).
Trappist beers are served in Flanders' bars
43. As an international port – the largest by surface area in Europe – Antwerp maintains close ties with numerous sister cities, such as Fèz, Barcelona, Haifa, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Marseille, Rotterdam, St Petersburg, and Shanghai.
44. Bierhuis Kulminator in the center of Antwerp is a mecca for beer lovers with around 600 ales from all over the world on offer. In addition to Belgian beers, including the famous Trappist varieties, you can get acquainted with creations from long-disappeared breweries and some that were never officially sold.
Bierhuis Kulminator sells many varieties of beer, attracting ale lovers from around the world
45. A handily gatherered collection of historic statues is located at the Grote Markt. You’ll find (another) statue of Peter Paul Rubens and the remarkable fountain statue denoting the legend of Brabo, among other literati.
46. Another of Flanders’ notable exports, Matilda of Flanders, married William the Conqueror in 1053, eventually going on to become Queen of England.
47. You may well recognise Antwerp's Cogels-Osylei from film and TV, thanks to its outstanding collection of Belle Epoque buildings that are coveted by filmmakers all over the world.
48. Every Saturday in front of the Antwerp Stadsschouwburg there is a very lively food market with lots of exotic street food besides traditional oyster shuckers and vendors of typical Flemish shrimp and delicious cheese croquettes.
Oysters are a traditional delicacy in Flanders
49. Comics are a form of literature omnipresent across the region; Flanders is the de facto comic strip capital of the world.
50. Hof van Cleve has been in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 15 years, an exceptional achievement from husband and wife team Peter and Lieve Goossens.
The city of Antwerp, as seen from above
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is coming back in 2021, with an awards ceremony and hybrid event programme to be hosted in Antwerp, Flanders, in October. To be the first to hear about the latest news and announcements, join the community on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
