The story
Waterzooi comes from Ghent in Flanders, and its name joins Dutch words for water and boiling. The city's tourist office traces it to the 13th and 14th centuries, near the old Braempoort gate, where grain mills stood and the Lys and Scheldt rivers teemed with perch, pike, barbel and eel. Cooks stewed this river fish with vegetables and finished the broth with egg yolk and cream. The most accepted theory says that when Ghent's rivers became too polluted for fish, chicken took over, and both versions are served today. Legend adds that Emperor Charles V, born in Ghent, kept eating it despite his gout.
Also known as Gentse waterzooi, kippenwaterzooi, viswaterzooi, Ghent chicken stew.
On the Meridish menu
Waterzooi was the soup course on menu No. 9 on October 9, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A creamy soup-stew thickened with egg yolk and cream. First made with river fish in this medieval city; when its rivers grew polluted, cooks switched to chicken.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
