Polydish city guide
Best Boûkète in San Francisco
“Buckwheat pancake from Wallonia, pan-fried in lard, studded with raisins and glazed with brown sugar or Liège syrup.”
What the real thing tastes like
A boûkète (Walloon; also spelled bouquette in French) is a type of Belgian pancake made with buckwheat flour, pan-fried in lard and frequently embellished with raisins. Boûkètes may be eaten hot or cold, garnished with a local brown sugar known as cassonade or with sirop de Liège. The name derives from the Dutch-language word boekweit ("buckwheat") and is attested with that meaning in the early 17th century, before being used to refer to the pancake itself: a usage first recorded in 1743. The original name for pancake in Wallonia is "vôte", but now boûkète is used to describe this specific type of pancake. Bo(u)quettes were first introduced to the city of Liège in the 18th century, imported by the court of the Prince-Bishops from the County of Loon and the district around Tongeren in Flanders. By the end of the 19th century the pancakes had become a Liège speciality. Boûkètes are traditionally eaten accompanied by mulled wine during the Christmas season, and are also honoured at the fe
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A boûkète is a Walloon buckwheat pancake—dark, nutty, and cooked in lard until the edges crisp. Studded with raisins and finished with cassonade or sirop de Liège, it's built for slow eating: you can eat it warm from the pan or cold the next day. Born from Flemish roots in the 18th century, it became Liège's signature by the 1800s, inseparable from mulled wine and winter festivals.
Order it here when it has
- centuries of Walloon heritage
- eaten fresh or cold
- winter-holiday ritual
- regional Liège speciality
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