Noses in Ghent, Cuberdon

One day I was watching the news and suddenly the title "the ongoing war of noses" flashes by. We have sweets in Belgium named "Cuberdons", but everyone in Flanders calls them "neuzeke"(which means little nose) and it is one of my favorite sweets. If you love really really sweet foods, then you will absolutely love this. The name probably comes from the fact that it looks like a nose, but some people say that it was made to look like the hat of a pastor.

Origin

Cuberdons were accidentally made when an apothecary named De Vynck was trying to find a way to make syrup (medicine) last longer in 1873. At the time most medicines were taken as syrups, since they had a longer storage life. He noticed in the experiment that the outside hardened but the inside stayed a fluid. This gave them the idea for the future Cuberdon. It takes around one week to make this confectionery.

There is also another story that says it was made by a cleric in Bruges, since it looks like the hat of a pastor. You can find more sources stating that it originates from Ghent and I also learned it to be from Ghent (even though I live way closer to Bruges). There is no definite answer about which story is wrong and which is wrong though.

The war of noses

You may or may not have heard about this famous war that was going on in Ghent until recently. In Ghent you have little stands on the market with people selling their Cuberdons. In the beginning of 2015 two of these vendors started fighting. It became really big in the end and some tourists started coming especially to see this war. It blew up completely when a video of one of the vendors went viral on the internet, but for now it has quieted down again.

No export

Because the sweets can only be kept for around three weeks, they are not exported and only available in Belgium. You can also get these at bakeries and at a market, so if you see them and you like sweets, you should definitely try them out. It's a little bit of happiness that looks like a purple nose. Usually they are raspberry flavored but other varieties are also available sometimes. After three weeks the jelly inside starts to crystallize so there will be less jelly inside, it is best to eat them before this happens.