Stegt flæsk
Encyclopedia
Stegt flæsk is a dish of fried
bacon
from Denmark
that is generally served with potato
es and a parsley
sauce
(med persillesovs). The dish is sometimes translated as pork
strips or crisp fried pork slices. The pork belly
or "breast" cut of a pig is used for stegt flæsk and the strips are cut about a 1/2 inch thick.
described stegt flæsk med persillesovs as fried slices of pork with fat served with parsley sauce and boiled potatoes.
Stegt means fried and flæsk a cut of pork often translated to English as bacon, but sometimes more generally as pork. Stegt flæsk is included in The Art of Danish Cooking by Nika Standen Hazelton where it is translated as bacon with parsley sauce and Scandinavian Cooking by Elizabeth Craig. Flæsk is also translated as bacon in older language guides.
The dish is especially popular at certain times of the year. Stegt flæsk can also be served with apple compote
.
Bacon and cuts of pork are also used in other dishes in Denmark. Flæskesteg is roast pork with cracklings
, potato, and cabbage
. Flæskeæggekage is a scrambled egg dish
with bacon. Leverpostej or liver pate is made up of chopped pig's liver and fat, chopped onions, milk, eggs and flour then baked in the oven and eaten with rye bread
. Stegt medister is a thick sausage
of minced pig meat and fat, spices and chopped onion, prepared by pan frying. The BBC noted that Danish food is not limited to just pig meat and pastries, but that "it would be fair to say they feature heavily in the diets of Denmark's citizens." An instructional video for cooking stegt flæsk on a ceramic grill was featured on KamadoTV.
, a leading Danish potato chips producer even made a stegt flæsk flavoured potato chip (now discontinued).
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
that is generally served with potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and a parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
sauce
Sauce
In cooking, a sauce is liquid, creaming or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
(med persillesovs). The dish is sometimes translated as pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
strips or crisp fried pork slices. The pork belly
Pork belly
Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat derived from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European dishes such as the Alsatian Choucroute garnie, the Swiss Berner Platte, and the German Schlachtplatte...
or "breast" cut of a pig is used for stegt flæsk and the strips are cut about a 1/2 inch thick.
In Danish cuisine
Stegt flæsk is one of Denmark's most popular foodstuffs and has been described as "a dish of pork fat, and only pork fat, in parsley sauce. Mmmm." An "alternative guide to Denmark" from the British broadcaster BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
described stegt flæsk med persillesovs as fried slices of pork with fat served with parsley sauce and boiled potatoes.
Stegt means fried and flæsk a cut of pork often translated to English as bacon, but sometimes more generally as pork. Stegt flæsk is included in The Art of Danish Cooking by Nika Standen Hazelton where it is translated as bacon with parsley sauce and Scandinavian Cooking by Elizabeth Craig. Flæsk is also translated as bacon in older language guides.
The dish is especially popular at certain times of the year. Stegt flæsk can also be served with apple compote
Compote
Compote is a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are immersed in water and with sugar and spices added to the dish, over gentle heat. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder,...
.
Bacon and cuts of pork are also used in other dishes in Denmark. Flæskesteg is roast pork with cracklings
Pork rind
Pork rind , is the fried or roasted skin of a pig. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind...
, potato, and cabbage
Red Cabbage
The red cabbage is a sort of cabbage, also known as Red Kraut or Blue Kraut after preparation....
. Flæskeæggekage is a scrambled egg dish
Scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs is a dish made from beaten whites and yolks of eggs . Beaten eggs are put into a hot pot or pan and stirred frequently, forming curds as they coagulate.-Sample preparation:...
with bacon. Leverpostej or liver pate is made up of chopped pig's liver and fat, chopped onions, milk, eggs and flour then baked in the oven and eaten with rye bread
Rye bread
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various percentages of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour...
. Stegt medister is a thick sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
of minced pig meat and fat, spices and chopped onion, prepared by pan frying. The BBC noted that Danish food is not limited to just pig meat and pastries, but that "it would be fair to say they feature heavily in the diets of Denmark's citizens." An instructional video for cooking stegt flæsk on a ceramic grill was featured on KamadoTV.
In Danish culture
Jimi and René, a musical duo from Denmark, recorded a song on their Volume Four To Som Os album called "stegt flæsk med persillesovs". Tobias Trier, a Danish singer-songwriter, has also sung about the dish. KiMsKiMs
KiMs is a Danish owned brand of chips and snacks owned by the Finnish Company Chips AB, which in turn is owned by the Norwegian Orkla Group.The brand "KiM" was trademarked in 1961 by Odense Marcipanfabrik in Denmark, but as a German cigarette brand of this name already existed, the name was...
, a leading Danish potato chips producer even made a stegt flæsk flavoured potato chip (now discontinued).