At least that might be the motto of a family of Belgian cheesemakers who have worked hard at getting their country’s production recognized in a world where France, the Netherlands and Switzerland come to mind for cheese as Belgium does for beer and chocolate.
The Van Tricht family of Antwerp who have run a specialty cheese shop for fifty years and have deep roots in the business, have become tireless promoters, supplying Belgian cheeses to customers as far afield as the U.S., the Middle East, Singapore and even the Maldives.
A breakthrough for their effort has been happening at top-end restaurants. A few years ago, the Van Trichts point out, most Michelin-starred restaurants in the country relied mostly on French cheeses, but the tide has been turning. Last year, Tim Meuleneire of Antwerp, chef at Hotel Franq, received his first Michelin star and told reporters he only works with Belgian cheese because of its excellent quality.
Van Tricht isn’t looking to a mass market, though: he thinks the strength for Belgium is in its small-scale artisanal production. “These small producers are making cheese using the milk from the farm they live on. Nothing is factory-produced on an industrial scale, so the cheeses are unique and usually unpasteurised.”
