Waterzooi

Waterzooi is chicken or fish simmered with carrot, leek and cream into a pale, silky stew. It's Ghent's signature dish, thick and rich enough that it sits between a soup and a stew — traditionally eaten with both a spoon and a fork, since neither alone quite handles it.

What it really is

Chicken pieces, or historically a mix of freshwater fish from the rivers around Ghent, simmer in a light stock with matchstick-cut carrot and leek until everything's tender. The broth thickens at the end with a liaison of egg yolk and cream stirred in off the heat — adding it too early or letting the pot boil afterward curdles the sauce, so this step happens last and gently. The result is a pale, creamy stew with the vegetables still holding some bite against the soft chicken or fish.

The fish version came first, historically, but chicken is now the more common order. Ghent sat on rivers that once supplied freshwater fish for the original waterzooi; as that supply changed, chicken became the standard, though a fish version still appears on menus that want to nod to the dish's older form.

How it's served

• In a deep bowl, broth and solids together, with bread on the side.
• Hot, with both a spoon and fork given to the guest.
• As a main course, filling enough on its own.

How to write it on the menu

• Say if it's the chicken or fish version, since both are genuinely traditional.
• Flag the dairy in the cream and the egg in the liaison.
• Note that it's meant to be eaten with both spoon and fork, since some guests won't expect that for a stew.