Belgian astronaut reveals which dish he wants to eat in space

What on earth do you eat in space? Well, Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liégeois has a surprising answer!

Liégeois has actually chosen two dishes to take with him during his stay on the International Space Station ISS. And they're two typically Belgian dishes.

The Belgian astronaut decided on two classics: chicory with ham and cheese sauce, and Liège meatballs. The European Space Agency ESA announced this on Friday.

So, when a 'Belgian evening' is held on the space station, we already know what's going to be served. Astronaut Raphaël Liégeois could count on the expertise of chef Wouter Keersmaekers from the restaurant ‘De Schone van Boskoop’ in the Antwerp town of Boechout and chef Frédéric Lambert from the restaurant ‘L’Amirauté’ in Esneux to help with the preparations. The cheese sauce in the chicory dish is actually made with Orval cheese, a nod to Liégeois’s family roots in that region. The sauce for the Liège meatballs was made partly with Liège syrup (made from apples and pears), but no beer was used, and unfortunately, the traditional chips won’t be served with it either.

Moreover, the dishes will be transported to the ISS in cans. There, they can be reheated in an oven. Raphaël Liégeois is set to head to the space station in the second half of 2026. He’ll stay there for six months. He’ll become the third Belgian in space, and he’ll be eating delicious Belgian food too.

(FVDV – Source: ESA – Photo: ©picture alliance/dpa | Rolf Vennenbernd)