''Stegt flæsk'' () is a dish from

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

consisting of fried pork belly and generally served with

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 Uni ...

es and parsley sauce (''persillesovs''). The dish is sometimes translated as '

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 ...

strips' or 'crisp fried pork slices'.Andrew Stone, Carolyn Bain, Michael Booth, Fran Parnel

page 49 and page 53 Denmark Edition: 5, illustrated 2008, Lonely Planet , 364 pages The

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine. Regional dishes France In Alsatian ...

or "breast" cut of a pig is used for ''stegt flæsk'' and the strips are cut about 1/4 inch thick.

In Danish cuisine

''Stegt flæsk'' is the national dish of Denmark and one of the country's most popular foodstuffs and has been described as "a dish of pork fat, and only pork fat, in parsley sauce." An "alternative guide to Denmark" from the British broadcaster BBC described ''stegt flæsk med persillesovs'' as fried slices of pork with fat served with parsley sauce and boiled potatoes."And for those who haven't had enough of old Porky Pig, the Danes also like ''stegt medister'', a thick sausage with minced pig meat and fat, spices and chopped onion, fried on the frying pan. Figures for heart disease in Denmark were not available.
The alternative guide to Denmark: Dish of the day
What do we really know about the 16 nations taking part in Euro 2004? May 24, 2004 BBC Sport ''Stegt'' means 'fried' and ''flæsk'' means 'strips of pork belly'. It is lightly salted but not smoked. ''Stegt flæsk'' is included in ''The Art of Danish Cooking'' by Nika Standen Hazelton and ''Scandinavian Cooking'' by Elizabeth Craig where the dish is translated as "bacon with parsley sauce" ''Flæsk'' is also translated as 'bacon' in older language guides. The main difference between bacon and ''flæsk'' is that ''flæsk'' is never sold smoked, and often not salted either. By contrast, anything marketed as 'bacon' in Denmark invariably will be both smoked and salted. The dish is especially popular at certain times of the year. Since the 2000s a tradition has emerged of eating ''stegt flæsk'' on election nights as a pun on the derogatory term ''valgflæsk'' (election pork) used to describe the lofty promises politicians make during their campaigns. Stegt flæsk can also be served with apple

compote Compote or compôte (French for ''mixture'') is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...

. Pork is the most popular meat in Denmark and bacon and cuts of pork are used in many dishes in traditional Danish cuisine. '' Flæskesteg'' is roast pork with

cracklings Cracklings (USA), crackling (British English), also known as scratchings, are the solid material which remains after rendering animal fat and skin to produce lard, tallow, or schmaltz, or as the result of roasting meat. It is often eaten as a snack ...

, usually served with ''rødkål'' red cabbage, gravy and boiled potatoes. ''Flæskeæggekage'' consists of a large pan of

scrambled eggs Scrambled eggs is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs) stirred, whipped or beaten together while being gently heated, typically with salt, butter, oil and sometimes other ingredients. Preparation Only eggs are necessary to make scramble ...

with ''stegt flæsk'', chives, tomatoes and ''rugbrød'' ryebread on the side. '' Leverpostej'' is a liver pate of pork liver, served both hot and cold in a variety of ways. '' Stegt medister'' is a thick, metre-long, spiced, minced pork

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

with lard and chopped onion, pan fried and served in a variety of ways. The BBC noted that whilst Danish food is not limited to just pork meat and pastries, "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 Japanese 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.

KiMs KiMs is a Danish brand of chips and snacks, owned by the Orkla Group. The brand "KiM" was trademarked in 1960 by Odense Marcipanfabrik (a marzipan factory) in Denmark, but as a German cigarette brand of this name already existed, the name was ...

, a leading Danish

potato chips A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

producer, even made a ''stegt flæsk'' flavoured potato chip (now discontinued).Current list of KiMs products
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stegt Flaesk Bacon dishes Danish cuisine Potato dishes Fried pork National dishes

In Danish cuisine

In Danish culture

See also

References