THIS BELGIAN SANDWICH IS NAMED AFTER A MACHINE GUN.

Mitraillette Meredith Bethune

The Mitraillette is a gut-bomb worth seeking out.

“I want that right now!” my father yelled, pointing to a photo on the menu at a Brussels food stand. It depicted a mitraillette, a foot-long baguette sandwich bursting with fries, mayonnaise, and mystery meat. My parents had recently arrived in Belgium, and I was leading them through the narrow cobblestone streets around the city’s famous Grand Place. I planned to introduce them to all the local delicacies—steamed mussels, handmade chocolates, warm waffles dusted with powdered sugar, and expertly-brewed Trappist beers.

The mitraillette, by contrast, isn't exactly refined. (It’s name means “submachine gun” in French.) Stopping for the sandwich was a detour on my itinerary, but I had to admit it incorporated one of the local food obsessions. There’s practically nothing more Belgian than fries: the country claims to have invented them. Every community, no matter how small or whether they speak Dutch or French, has at least one fry stand.

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By Meredith Bethune.