In the 17th-century Spanish Netherlands, meals were not separated into starter, main course, and dessert as in France. The Flemish table, as seen in Antwerp still lifes, combines in one movement hutsepot or meat stewed in brown beer, savory or sweet pies (taerten), brown bread, cheese, candied fruits, and spiced hot drinks. Abundance is laid out Flemish style: everything placed together on a damask cloth, where each person helps themselves according to their rank and appetite. Van Dyck, a traveling courtier, added the memory of oils and focacce from Italy.

In Flanders, brown barley beer is not just a drink: it is used to moisten stews, flavor waffle batters, and make hot caudles. Its malty bitterness and sweet-sour edge define the cuisine of Van Dyck's homeland, contrasting with the olive oil he discovered in Genoa and Rome.