Brussels Waffles

Rectangular, light and crisp, with deep square pockets and straight edges, the Brussels waffle is the one most of the world pictures when it hears the word, and it is the opposite of its Belgian sibling. The Liège waffle is a dense, oval, yeasted dough studded with pearl sugar that caramelises on the iron; the Brussels waffle is a thin batter, risen with yeast or whipped egg whites, poured into a deep iron and cooked until the shell is golden and the inside is almost hollow. It appeared in Brussels in the mid-nineteenth century, and a Flemish version shown at the 1964 New York World's Fair, sold with strawberries and whipped cream, is why Americans call it a Belgian waffle. In Brussels it is a sit-down dessert or a street snack, served warm and eaten with icing sugar, whipped cream, fruit or chocolate.