Birnen, Bohnen und Speck
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Birnen, Bohnen und Speck ("pears, beans and bacon") is a North German dish which is especially popular in the states of
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
,
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
and
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
. It also goes under the names of Bohnen, Birnen und Speck and, locally, the Low German names of ''Grööner Hein'' and ''Grönen Heini'' (lit: "Green Harry"). The seasonal availability of its ingredients means that the dish is mainly eaten in the months of August and September. The dish is a type of stew, in which—as the name indicates—the main ingredients are
pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...
s, beans and
speck Speck can refer to a number of European cured pork products, typically salted and air-cured and often lightly smoked but not cooked. In Germany, speck is pickled pork fat with or without some meat in it. Throughout much of the rest of Europe a ...
(a kind of bacon). In North German country kitchens,
potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es would also be added, even though they are not specifically mentioned.


Ingredients

Generally cut French beans (''Brechbohnen'') are used. In Hamburg on the markets occasionally "Turkish peas" may be found, despite its name a Vierlande bean variety that used to be frequently used for this dish. During preparation several sprigs of savory are added to the beans. The
pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...
s used for this dish are cooking pears, which are inedible raw. They are small, green, and rock-hard, lacking the sweetness of the popular eating varieties. In the Hamburg area, other varieties are used: the '' Vierländer'' and the rather sweeter ''
Finkenwerder Finkenwerder (; Low German: ''Finkwarder'', ''Finkenwarder'' or ''- wärder''; German: ''Finkeninsel''; translation: Island of finches) is a quarter of Hamburg, Germany in the borough Hamburg-Mitte. It is the location of a plant of Airbus and its ...
'' cooking pears. ''Bürgermeisterbirne'' pears may be used. They are not as sweet when raw. Streaky and smoky bacon is traditionally used. The Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein preference is to add potatoes to their ''Bohnen, Birnen und Speck'' that are still firm when cooked, such as the ''Cilena'' or ''Linda'' varieties. In
Land Hadeln Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in Northern Germany with its seat in Otterndorf on the Lower Elbe, the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle between the estuaries of the Elbe and W ...
beef or lamb can also be cooked along with the bacon.


Preparation

According to taste, the bacon is placed either in complete strips or cut up into water which is then brought to the boil. Meanwhile, the beans are cleaned, washed and cut into sections. After 25 minutes of cooking, the beans are added together with the savory to the bacon and cooking continues. The flowers are removed from the pears, but the stalks are left on. The pears are left with their skins on throughout. They are then laid on the beans and everything is cooked together. The peeled potatoes are boiled separately in salted water or cooked together with the rest of the stew.NDR.de: Towards the end of the overall cooking time of about 50 minutes, some flour is mixed with water, poured into the pot and briefly boiled up. Typical quantities for four people are: *750 g beans *500 g pears *400 g bacon *500 g potatoes *1 sprig of savory *2 tbsp of flour Each person is served one or two pears, a good portion of bacon, beans and potatoes and broth according to preference. A fresh
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
goes well with the dish. There are variations that do away with the savory, but add freshly chopped parsley towards the end, which use
broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...
instead of water for cooking (ready-made or home-made) or which use
pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...
.


See also

* *
List of stews This is a list of notable stews. A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, bean ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


''Birnen, Bohnen und Speck or My German Genes''


North German cuisine German stews Pear dishes Legume dishes Bacon dishes ksh:Fitschbunne