Ermine grew up in Ter Assene, a local village not far from Affligem. This city is located, not far from Aalst, on the border of East Flanders and Flemish Brabant. The flan was very well known in her neighbourhood. She learned it from her mother who made it very often.
According to Ermine, her flan reminds her of her mother, the family visits and the happy moments of joy during the second world war. At her place they had a small oven, hidden in a small back kitchen. Friends and family, who were aware of the existence of this small little secret, often came with their flans to bake them in this oven.
Also her mother made the flan often during the war. It was hard to find all the ingredients, because everything was rationed. Barter change was the solution. Luckily, you don’t need a lot of things to make this delicious dish. When her mother made the flan, they forgot that there was a war going on. The flan brought happy moments during that dark time.
Nowadays Ermine still makes the flan a lot. She’s not the only one, because her granddaughter already makes it often.
