Belgian vegetable varieties: 20 names to know, from Liège to Mechelen
Tomatoes, lettuces, leeks, celeries, broad bean and melon. Where each variety comes from and where the sources stop.
The Triomphe de Liège, the Blonde de Laeken, the Gros vert de Huy leek. For most, the history comes down to one line in a catalogue. Better to know that before telling it.
A town name does not prove everything
A name like "de Huy" says where the variety was grown, sold or selected. It says neither when, nor by whom. A few varieties do have a date.
- The Hâtive d'Heverlee lettuce was bred in 1939.
- The Gloire de Malines tomato is listed from the 1930s.
- The Première lignée de Gembloux tomato was selected in the 1950s by the CRA-W, the Walloon agricultural research centre.
These three dates come from the 2025 catalogue of Semailles, the organic seed company at Faulx-les-Tombes. It says it has reintroduced nearly 200 forgotten local varieties. It also supplies the seeds for the Vegiwise shop. This catalogue is the main source for the sheets below. Keep in mind that it is a single voice.
For others, the date circulates without proof. The Triomphe de Liège is attributed to a Victor Strap, in 1903. You find that sentence in the variety database TOMATObase and at several seed companies. No document from the time confirms it. The portrait The Triomphe de Liège tomato tells the search.
The tomatoes
| Variety | From | What we know | What we do not know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triomphe de Liège | Liège region | Marmande type, medium flattened bright red fruit, fairly early, suited to humid regions | Whether Victor Strap and 1903 are established |
| Potager de Vilvorde | Vilvoorde, north of Brussels | Very productive, round red fruit of medium size, resists diseases well | Who selected it, and when |
| Bonbon de Gembloux | Gembloux | In the Vegiwise catalogue, presented as a cherry tomato | Everything else. No source found on its history |
| Première lignée de Gembloux, or Corma | Gembloux | Selected for the greenhouse by the CRA-W in the 1950s, 6 to 8 fruits per truss | Whether it grows well outside |
| Gloire de Malines | Mechelen | Listed from the 1930s, mid-season, smooth round fruit, very productive | Its exact origin |
| Rouge de Gand | Ghent region | Very old, small round smooth fruit | Its real age |
Semailles offers a dozen other Belgian tomatoes. Among them, the Merveille de Bastogne was found again recently. The Verte de Huy is very rare. The Téton de Wépion comes from a collector in Wépion. The catalogue thanks an enthusiast, Jean-Michel Rouffiange, who gathered 70 Belgian tomato varieties. The portraits Bonbon de Gembloux and Potager de Vilvorde go further.
Lettuces and chicories
| Variety | From | What we know | What we do not know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reine de mai de Liège | Liège | Bred by Liège market gardeners for a bigger head than the original Reine de mai; forced in a cold greenhouse in March | The date of its creation |
| Blonde de Laeken | Laeken, Brussels | Large, very pale green head, slow to bolt, close to the Grosse blonde paresseuse | Its documented origin |
| Hâtive d'Heverlee | Heverlee, Leuven | Bred in 1939; according to Semailles, the market gardeners' reference for outdoor spring crops | Its breeder |
| Frisée de Namur | Namur | Curly endive, thick foliage that blanches on its own, resists bolting | Its age |
| Brussels chicory Demi-hâtive de Malines | Mechelen | Long used to force Belgian endive (chicons) in open ground in Flanders, also forced in a cellar | When it was fixed |
The chicon, for its part, has a written history. It appears in the file for the Brussels intangible heritage inventory, in 2021. Forcing was born north-east of Brussels in the mid-19th century. The file gives two leads. The first is a chance discovery on the farm of a grower in Schaerbeek or Evere. The second, the more plausible according to it, is the work of François Bréziers, head gardener of the Botanical Garden, around 1840. The crop then spreads to the triangle Brussels, Mechelen, Leuven.
The full step-by-step is in Forcing Belgian endive (chicons) at home. The history is in Witloof chicory and the Brussels chicon.
Leeks and the onion
| Variety | From | What we know | What we do not know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poireau de Liège | Liège | Winter leek, very long shaft, upright dark green leaves, excellent cold resistance | Its documented origin |
| Gros vert de Huy | Huy | Very hardy winter leek, thick half-long shaft | Its age |
| Poireau des Vennes | Liège region, probably | In the Vegiwise catalogue, also named Géant des Vennes; Semailles sells a Géant de Venne, tall, long shaft, cold resistant | Whether it is the same variety, and where the name comes from |
| Oignon rouge de Huy | Huy | Old regional variety, dark red bulb, round, slightly flattened, vigorous and hardy | When it was selected |
The three leeks have their portrait in Three Liège leeks, three uses. The onion has its own, The Oignon rouge de Huy.
Celeries, broad bean, melon and lamb's lettuce
| Variety | From | What we know | What we do not know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting celery Pipe creuse de Malines | Mechelen | Bushy plant, fine leaves, very hardy, grown for its aromatic foliage | Its age |
| Cutting celery À jets fins de Huy | Huy | Hollow stalks, very fragrant foliage, not afraid of the first frosts, regrows abundantly | Its documented origin |
| Fève Longue de Belgique | Belgium, no town | Very old, hardy, long pods | Where exactly |
| Belgian melon of the Pajottenland | Pajottenland, west of Brussels | Derived from the Noir des Carmes melon, adapted to the Belgian climate and to growing under frames, grown until the 1960s | Who selected it |
| Lamb's lettuce Bigarrée de Huy | Huy | Very cold resistant, heart that turns yellow as winter ends | Its age |
To go further, read Cutting celeries from Mechelen and Huy, Fève Longue de Belgique and The Belgian melon of the Pajottenland. The shelling bean that is not Belgian also has its guide, Flageolet blanc des Flandres.
Why sow a Belgian variety?
It is not better everywhere. Market gardeners chose it, often for decades, for the Belgian climate. Semailles describes the Triomphe de Liège and the Potager de Vilvorde as "well suited to humid regions". We found no comparative trial that confirms it. Take it as the seed company's opinion.
The other reason is practical. The seeds from Semailles are all open-pollinated, no hybrids, according to its catalogue. So you can keep your seeds and sow again the next year. The guide Open-pollinated seeds, F1 and heirloom varieties explains how.
Thirteen of the twenty varieties are in the Vegiwise app catalogue. Their seeds are found in the Vegetable seeds collection in the shop. Add yours to your vegetable garden in the app. You will have its sowing dates for your region. Start here.
FAQ
Is the chicon really Belgian?
Chicon forcing was born in Brussels in the mid-19th century, according to the Brussels intangible heritage file. The plant, chicory, has been grown for much longer for its root and its leaves.
Is the Reine de mai de Liège the same as the Reine de mai?
No. Semailles describes it as a selection by Liège market gardeners, with a bigger head than the original Reine de mai. It also forces better in a cold greenhouse.
Can you keep the seeds of these varieties?
Yes. They are fixed varieties, not hybrids. The seeds give the same plant again if you avoid crossing with another variety of the same species.
Where to find these seeds?
Semailles packs them at Faulx-les-Tombes and announces more than 180 resellers in Belgium and France. Thirteen of them are also in the Vegiwise app catalogue.
Photo: Dinkum, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (CC0)
Sources
- Semailles, Catalogue 2025 (semencier bio de Faulx-les-Tombes : fiches des variétés régionales belges, Première lignée de Gembloux, Hâtive d'Heverlee, Reine de mai de Liège, Gloire de Malines, Melon belge du Pajottenland, Flageolet blanc des Flandres)
- Tatiana's TOMATObase, Triomphe de Liège (Victor Strap, 1903)
- Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Inventaire du patrimoine culturel immatériel : La culture et le forçage du chicon à Bruxelles (inscrit le 15/03/2021)
- Données Vegiwise : catalogue des cultures (variétés belges proposées dans l'app et la boutique, export du 02/11/2026)
He gardens in Belgium and tries out in his own vegetable patch what the app recommends. His articles always start from a source you can check and a step you can take this weekend.
