Last Sunday we attended the Ronde van Vlaanderen at 3 different places : the start in Bruges, the cobbles of Doorn (Oudenaarde area) and of course we were present when the riders climbed the famous Muur of Geraardsbergen.
I’m not going to bore you with the events of the day (basically driving, getting out of the car, take photos/watch the race, back into the car, etc etc), but I did have to share the delicious treat we brought home from Geraardsbergen, or Giesbaargen, as the locals pronounce it.
Yes, the city is not only famous for its Muur, there’s also the Mattentaart. Basically, it’s a puff pastry containing milk, eggs and almonds. The word matten actually refers to the main ingredient : a mixture of buttermilk and whole milk.
One assumes that the origin of the Mattentaart dates back to the Middle Ages. The oldest known recipe is by Thomas van der Noot in his book Boeken van Cokerijen (1510).
The Mattentaart was granted the Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Union back in 2006, indicating that they can only be made in Geraardsbergen or the nearby municipality of Lierde.
If you’re planning on visiting the city, don’t forget to taste the Mattentaart, they’re absolutely delicious! No wonder everyone stocked up on a bunch of Mattentaarten after the race finished…
Yum 🙂 Nice picture!