The Waterzooi Pilgrimage

Waterzooi (roughly "watery mess," though that does it no justice) is the signature dish of Flanders: chicken pieces poached in a broth of leeks, carrots, celery and potato, enriched with cream and egg yolks into something velvety and gently luxurious. The original was made with freshwater fish from the rivers around Ghent; the chicken version became the standard and is now the one you'll find everywhere from Bruges to Brussels. It's mild, comforting and deeply Flemish - the opposite of bold, and all the better for it.

Bruges is the reason to eat it here rather than at home. The medieval centre is almost absurdly beautiful - canals, cobbles, Gothic towers, chocolate shops on every corner - and a plate of waterzooi in a candlelit Bruges restaurant, a Belgian beer beside it, is one of those perfectly matched meals.