Antwerpse Handjes

Our Belgian friends, Jan and Vera, stayed in our flat while we were away, enjoying all that London has to offer. While we were glad that they could use our flat, we were sad that we weren't here to show them around. Still, after getting a look at their photos, it seems that they did more than fine without us, traipsing all around London, even seeing some sights in a week that we haven't yet seen in a year! When we got home, we discovered that they had left us a table full of thoughtful thank-you gifts, including this lovely tin of Antwerpse Handjes:

Delicious almond shortbread cookies with a story behind them, Antwerpse Handjes are given as a token of friendship. Let me explain. One popular legend as to how Antwerpen got its name involves a giant, Droon Antigoon. Basically a tyrant, he blocked the river Scheldt (easy for a giant) and only let ships pass if their skippers paid a toll. If an unwise skipper refused to pay, Antigoon chopped off one of his hands and threw it into the river. Well, Silvius Brabo was a Roman centurion who came to the rescue of the city by killing Antigoon, and (you guessed it) chopping off one of the giant's hands and hurling it into the river, an act that is remembered in Antwerpen's gorgeous central square, Grote Markt. Thus, Antwerpen (Hand-werpen, or "hand-throwing") was coined. As symbols of the city, Antwerpse Handjes ("Antwerp hands") represent a city born out of bravery, loyalty, and friendship--and once you get over the slightly odd sensation of eating so many tiny hands, they're incredibly delicious!