There are so many types of waffles. There’s those frozen Eggo waffles that you’re supposed to leggo. There’s those thin, syrup soaked bad boys at Waffle House. And of course there’s your classic Belgian waffles. And then there’s liege style waffles. Wait, what are liege waffles? What’s the difference between liege waffles vs Belgian waffles? And what is this pearl sugar stuff that’s used to make them? Let’s learn about some liege waffles!
What are liege waffles?
It turns out that there’s more than one kind of Belgian waffle. In the U.S., what we refer to as a Belgian waffle is actually a Brussels waffle. It’s the type of waffle popular in Brussels. Liege style waffles, on the other hand, are heavy, dense, and sweet waffles that come from the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liege waffles are made with a heavy brioche style dough. They’re pretty sweet because they’re made with pearl sugar (more on that in a sec), so they’re usually eaten plain and they’re often sold by street vendors. You can just carry these liege style waffles around and eat them on the go. It’s a walking around waffle.
What is pearl sugar?
Pearl sugar is chunks of super compacted sugar. Basically, you compress a bunch of regular sugar and some big solid chunks emerge. The cool thing about pearl sugar is that it doesn’t melt as easily as regular sugar. So when you use pearl sugar in things like liege waffles, those chunks stay intact. You end up eating these crunchy, super sweet hunks of sugar that caramelize during the cooking process.
Liege waffles vs Belgian waffles—what’s the difference?
So, we know that liege style waffles and Belgian waffles (which are really Brussels waffles) both come from Belgium. But these waffles have some pretty major differences. Brussels waffles can be round or square. They are light and fluffy, and are usually eaten with toppings. Liege waffles are less uniform looking. They’re smaller and heavier. Brussels waffles are made with a batter and liege waffles are made with dough.
Since liege waffles are made with pearl sugar, they end up being much sweeter than their cousins from Brussels. And since they’re so sweet, they are usually eaten by themselves with no toppings. With their uneven edges and caramelized pearl sugar chunks, liege waffles have more textual variety than other styles of waffle.
Brussels waffles are more of a sit down and eat off of a plate waffle. Liege waffles are waffles on the go. You just grab one and chow down while you run your errands. I try to keep at least five liege waffles on me at all times when I’m running errands. You never know when you need a waffle.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!