Eating the Gun

Croissant and pistolet from Linkebeek

Sunday mornings in Linkebeek find the breakfast table folding under the weight of guns, but this unique Belgian delicacy has nothing to do with Second Amendment rights. Pistolet is a fine bread found only--properly--in Belgium, though it has made it as far as Louisiana in some form or another.

A light dough is fired under the auspices of a quick shot of steam, artisan baker, and a wood-burning oven. After some time, the pistolet is removed. Smooth and hard on the outside, a rolling cloud in the middle, the Belgian delight resembles a golden cannonball filled with angel's smiles. I exaggerate. Some.

But when your knife splits open that gorgeous shot from heaven's legions, and when steam billows from within with enough force to melt the butter on your knife before you have the chance to spread it, then--and only then--will you be able to sample something that is uniquely Belgian. And It is a moment of pride, a moment of clarity, when you take a bite into that culinary masterpiece and realize the best part about the whole experience is the conversation and crumbs it brings along with it.