Frisian cuisine consists of the traditional recipes and cooking methods of the historic region of

Frisia Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...

, which is in present-day

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The Frisian cuisine is diverse, drawing from both land and sea. Most dishes, lest they be a dessert, are made of fish or potatoes, though several dishes exist that are primarily made out of other things. Especially in

West Frisia West Frisia ( la, Frisia Occidentalis) is a term that, when used in an international context, refers to the traditionally Frisian areas that are located west of the Dollart (i.e. in the present-day Netherlands). Along with East Frisia and North ...

, the food resembles that of the

Dutch Cuisine Dutch cuisine ( nl, Nederlandse keuken) is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location in the fertile North Sea river delta of the European Plain, giving rise to fishing, fa ...

, though

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

and

North Frisia North Frisia (; ; ) is the northernmost portion of Frisia, located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany between the rivers Eider and Wiedau. It also includes the North Frisian Islands and Heligoland. The region is traditionally inhabited by the North ...

present dishes that are very much unique to the region.

List of Dishes

Warm Dishes

Snirtjebraten

Snirtjebraten is a roasted

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

shoulder or -neck, traditionally marinated with cloves, allspice, bay leaves and juniper berries. The dish regularly served with a gravy sauce and red cabbages. Snirtjebraten is a popular Frisian national dish.

Updrögt bohnen

Updrögt bohnen (Frisian: "Dried beans") is an East Frisian stew made primarily out of dry beans that were cooked in salt water. Potatoes, pieces of bacon and

mettwurst Mettwurst () is a strongly flavored German sausage made from raw minced pork preserved by curing and smoking, often with garlic. The southern German variety is soft and similar to Teewurst. Braunschweiger mettwurst is partially smoked but stil ...

sausages are in the dish as well, and the stew is served with some more sausages.

Labskaus

Labskaus is a dish common in North Frisia and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. A portion of Labskaus is a purée composed of corned beef, mashed potatoes, beetroot and onions with gerkins, fried eggs, as well as herring as a garnish. For a long time, it was highly appreciated with seafarers because of its high

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

. It has spread through all of

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

Finkenwerder Speckscholle

Essentially a specific way to prepare a

plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is also ...

, Finkenwerder Speckscholle is a popular dish in North- and East Frisia. There are of course several recipes to prepare a ''Speckscholle'', varying from one region to another. But the most popular one by far is the ''Finkenwerder'' recipe, named after the district

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 a ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. The ''Finkenwerder'' recipe uses onions, crabs and a bacon sauce as a garnish.

Snert

Snert is a West Frisian Pea Soup. It has a thick consistency and is mostly served with a Frisian type of bread and pork or bacon. It was spread throughout the whole world by the

Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

and is today an established and popular dish of the Dutch Cuisine.

Desserts/Sweet Dishes

Ostfriesentorte

The Ostfriesentorte (German: East Frisian's Cake) is a traditional East Frisian Cake, which can be baked in many colors. The cake can be found in many cafés in East- and North Frisia. It is extraordinarily big, as it can have very many layers. The cake is essentially made of alternating layers of whipped cream and raisins soaked in

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

. It is often decorated with more cream and chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

Puffert un Peer

An East Frisian Desert, Puffert un Peer are dumplings made of milk, yeast and sugar, which are mixed with butter and flour. The dumplings are steamed and traditionally served with diced and cooked pears and vanilla sauce. The dish is comparable to the bavarian Dampfnudel.

Speckendicken

The Speckendicken is an East Frisian dish mostly consumed in the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Season. It is a local take on

pancakes A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying wit ...

in the region, and traditionally families make a lot of Speckerdickens shortly before

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

and

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

. It is made with flour, milk, eggs butter as well as salt and sugar. Some added carnamom, treacle and anise creates a unique flavour. Spckendickens are traditionally eaten with bacon or sausage.

Drinks

Frisian Tea

There is a very strong tea culture in West- and East Frisia. Black tea is very popular, typically with a small amount of milk and some sugar in it. This tea culture goes back to the ages of the Dutch Empire, when the Netherlands were the country with the biggest spice trade and a very large tea import of primarily black tea (see:

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

). It is customary when drinking tea in East Frisia and Friesland to watch the white ''"Wulkje"'' ( platt: small cloud) caused by the cream in the tea, rather than stirring the tea with a spoon.

Korn

Korn is a liquor which comes from

Bad Oldesloe Bad Oldesloe () is a town located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the capital of the district of Stormarn. The area has been inhabited since Mesolithic times. The flint tools found here from that era (6000–4500 BC) a ...

in northern Germany, and is extremely popular in the German parts of Frisia.

History

A large part of the Frisian Cuisine goes back to the time when the Frisians were dependent on all their available resources, before the ascend of the Netherlands to a Colonial Power. These resources were mostly seafood, some plantable ingredients and a small amount of meat. It is the Colonial Import, which began in the 17th century, that led to the other parts of this cuisine, for example the tea culture and the occasional use of spices. The recipes of the Frisian Cuisine have barely changed since then, but with the development of new kitchen utensils and the introduction of

mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

, many of the old ways of preparing the food have been, as in every Cuisine that existed at the time, modernised.

Recent Changes

Due to the plaice being

overfished Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in t ...

in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, many cooks have begun using other types of fish to prepare the ''Speckscholle''.

References

{{reflist Frisia Dutch cuisine German cuisine