Belberry fruit vinegars and preserved lemons from the Flemish city of Kortrijk
Belberry Fine Food Creators is a Belgian delicatessen based in Kortrijk, founded in 1956 by André Vandererfven and now run by his son Thierry. The company became known for its jams, which are supplied to the Belgian royal family. Our selection features their fruit vinegars made with real fruit pulp and their Moroccan preserved lemons.
Belberry is a family business from Kortrijk in West Flanders that has been putting fruit into jars and bottles since André Vandererfven took over a small delicatessen there in 1956. Under the Royal Selection label, they create jams, fruit sauces, ketchups, and fruit vinegars, all cooked in open kettles and without preservatives. You will find four of their fruit vinegars and their Moroccan preserved lemons in our shop.
1956, a shop, and an apothecary's wife's recipe
It started not with a business plan, but with a request: An elderly apothecary's wife from the neighborhood asked André if he would take over her jam-making and gave him her recipe.
The shop that André took over in Kortrijk in 1956 dated back to the late 19th century and had previously survived by trading in goods from others. Using the apothecary's recipe, he began cooking for himself, and it is precisely this step that sustains the company to this day. A colonial goods store had become a manufactory.
His son Thierry, a trained chef, joined the business at the age of twenty and has led it since 1990. He brought their products across national borders, which is how the brand got its name: as a Danish importer once told Thierry, nobody abroad could get their tongue around "Vandererfven." Because the family bought their berries in the neighborhood, the Belgian berries were quickly renamed "Belberry."
Kortrijk lies on the Lys river, a good twenty kilometers before the French border, and is one of those Flemish cities where good food is taken for granted and nobody makes a big fuss about it. Today, the manufactory is located in the district of Marke, a little outside the old center. Back in 1956, no one would likely have suspected that citrus marmalade from this very place would one day go to a royal court.
Four fruit vinegars and a Moroccan spiced fruit
Our Belberry shelf is small and curated in a idiosyncratic way: four fruit vinegars in 200-milliliter bottles and a jar of preserved lemons, which has persistently held the top spot on our sales list.
The Moroccan preserved lemons mature for weeks in sea salt brine with rosemary until the bitterness has disappeared and a dense, salty, lemony spice remains. They are the go-to ingredient for tagines, couscous, and braised lamb, and are our best-selling item from the producer.
With the vinegars, the fruit determines the character. The Japanese Yuzu Vinegar is the clearest and most refined—floral and subtly bitter—making it perfect for raw fish or a glass of sparkling wine. The Cameroon Mango Vinegar contains tree-ripened mangoes from Cameroon and tastes almost like a chutney: tropical, round, and soft.
The Kalamansi Citrus Vinegar is lemony and floral, featuring the juice of the Philippine calamansi, a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat. And the Sweet Raspberry Vinegar is the most berry-forward of all, deep red and soft—a classic pairing with goat cheese. Three of the four contain 30 percent fruit pulp, while the yuzu is made with 24 percent juice. Fruity, spicy, distinct, and none of them taste like the other.
A word on the production method, because the label doesn't give it away: these bottles are not fermented fruit wines, but vinegar preparations. A vinegar base is combined with fruit pulp or juice, along with a little sugar and a thickening agent. This is the reason why the fruit flavor is so prominent and the acidity is milder than in a classic wine vinegar. Those looking for true fermentation are better off with apple cider vinegar.
Open kettles, 180 kilos, no preservatives
In Kortrijk, they cook in open kettles that hold 180 kilos, slowly and with constant stirring. This is the more labor-intensive method, and it is a conscious decision for the sake of flavor.
In the open kettle, water evaporates, the fruit concentrates, and it retains its true character. For the jams, the fruit content is 55 percent, the sugar remains low, and no preservatives ever enter a jar. What this means for the shelf is visible in the vinegar bottles: the fruit pulp settles at the bottom and the liquid clouds slightly. Give it a shake, and everything is as it should be.
Thierry has a clear preference for who he brings into production: ideally pastry chefs, bakers, and cooks, because anyone who has learned the craft can better tell when something is ready. The house sources fruit where it grows best: Seville oranges, Alphonso mangoes, Sicilian blood oranges, and wild Italian lemons.
This purchasing policy is the real effort behind the brand. An Alphonso mango costs many times more than a standard mango, a Seville orange is only available for six weeks a year and not at all otherwise. Anyone who buys like this must think seasonally and maintain inventory, and cannot simply run a recipe throughout the year. That is exactly what you taste in the glass later.
Working without preservatives has a downside, and it must be mentioned: opened jars and bottles belong in the refrigerator, and they do not last forever. The vinegars last longest in a cool, dark place, and with the preserved lemons, the brine must cover the fruit. If you follow this, you will enjoy them for a long time. If you forget the bottle next to the stove, likely not.
Queen Paola and the title of Purveyor to the Royal Court
The only award Belberry holds is also its finest: the company is a purveyor to the Belgian royal family.
This was a clever idea from Thierry. He learned that Queen Paola, born Princess Ruffo di Calabria and thus Italian by origin, had a weakness for citrus marmalades. So, he prepared eight varieties and sent them to the court. The Queen was impressed, and since then, Belberry has been allowed to call itself a Purveyor to the Belgian Royal Household. The names on the labels, "Royal Marmalade" and "Royal Selection," come from this story. Hats off.
We have no evidence of further awards, and we prefer not to write anything we cannot verify. The title speaks for itself.
Where best to start with Belberry
If you want to get to know the company, start with the jar, not the bottle. The preserved lemons will transform a kitchen faster than any vinegar.
After that, the Yuzu Vinegar is worth the leap, as it tastes least like vinegar and most like citrus fruit. A teaspoon in a glass of sparkling wine, and you have an aperitif that nobody else will easily recreate. For the salad bowl, reach for the raspberry vinegar; for warm curries and roasted chicken, the mango vinegar. Try them at your leisure; the four get along well with each other.
The bottles are great as gifts anyway: 200 milliliters are quickly used up, the label is pretty enough for the gift table, and a fruit vinegar is one of the few tokens of appreciation that even someone who already has everything will enjoy. Two bottles and a good oil in a basket—the perfect gift for a housewarming or birthday.
If you have caught fire for fruity acidity, you will find more bottles at A l'Olivier from Paris or you can browse through our entire fruit vinegar collection. The preserved lemons are in good company among the compotes and preserves. Let yourself be surprised by how far a splash of fruit can go.
