Stegt Flaesk: Denmark’s National Dish

The most representative of Danish pork belly dishes has to be stegt flaesk. Which is surprising at first because Denmark is consistently voted as one of the most health-conscious countries in the world. And yet, their national dish is none other than stegt flaesk: crispy fried strips of pork belly alongside soft boiled potatoes drizzled in a creamy parsley sauce.

But once you’ve tasted it, you’ll understand why it’s so popular.

It’s a dish that is both pure simplicity and indulgence. The ultimate comfort food for Danes nationwide. When you see how easy it is to cook (and consume copious amounts of), it just might become one of yours.

What is Stegt Flaesk?

Stegt flaesk is short for stegt flæsk med persillesovs og kartofler. Broken down, it translates to:

• stegt = fried
• flæsk = pork
• med = with
• persillesovs= parsley sauce
• og = and
• kartofler = potatoes

So straightforward, its name is also its recipe.

Stegt Flaesk’s claim to fame? Well, it holds the distinction of Denmark’s national dish. But it’s actually more than that. It’s also a cultural icon and a gastronomic nod to Denmark’s agricultural past.

Here are a couple fun facts about stegt flaesk that will tell you everything you need to know about this delicious dish…

It’s (really) popular. In 2014, Denmark’s Food and Agriculture Minister let Danes nationwide vote on the country’s national dish. Among 24 candidates, stegt flaesk emerged the clear winner, with 28,000 out of 63,000 votes. That’s 44% of the vote!

There’s a long history. It’s actually not surprising that stegt flaesk proved to be so popular. The Danes have had a long-standing relationship with this dish for centuries. Because the foundation of Danish cooking was established long before the Industrial Revolution. And it was based on using easily available, local foods. Since pigs were kept as livestock since the Stone Age, pork was an obvious choice, especially since it could be salted and preserved. Ditto for potatoes. Families kept long-lasting products like these in storage and meals were naturally fashioned out of them.

Danes love pork. Pork is hands down the most popular meat in Denmark. As such, there are a lot of delicious pork recipes. So if you love stegt flaesk, you’ll want to check out Flæskesteg med rødkål (roast pork with red cabbage) and Flæskeæggekage (fried pork belly omelette).

It’s especially popular on election night. It’s become popular to eat stegt flæsk on election nights as a pun on the Danish idiom ‘valgflæsk’ (‘election pork’), which is used to describe the promises politicians make to obtain votes. This has become such a popular tradition that pork sales multiply during election week.

Stegt Flaesk vs Bacon?

What’s the difference between stegt flaesk and bacon? They’re both crispy fried strips of pork belly, after all.

The main difference is that flaesk is never smoked. It’s often not sold salted, either. Whereas all pork belly sold as bacon in Denmark is usually both smoked and salted.

Stegt Flaesk Ingredients

Stegt flaesk is a relatively simple dish – crispy pieces of pork belly accompanied by boiled potatoes and a velvety parsley sauce. So as with most simple dishes, the quality of the ingredients you use matters. So use the best pork belly you can get your hands on.

Here’s the quick rundown of what you’ll need to make stegt flaesk.

Pork belly. A cut from the butchers is good, especially since you can ask them to slice it into thinner strips for you. Here in the UK, Ocado has a good cut of pre-sliced pork belly that I always get. It comes pre-sliced and (almost) thin enough for the perfect stegt flaesk. M&S also has pre-sliced pork belly. So does Sainsbury’s – look for the Streaky Bacon Rashers.

Potatoes. Choose any variety of new potatoes or small potatoes. These freshly harvested young potatoes are sweeter and have tender skins that you don’t even need to peel.

Parsley sauce. The parsley sauce is a simple béchamel sauce – butter and flour combined with milk and a dash of nutmeg. We’ll add in chopped parsley at the end to give it that amazing herby fresh flavor.

S&P. The rest of the seasoning is from good old salt and pepper.

How to Make Stegt Flaesk

1. Prep

Preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C). Cut the pork belly into slices that are ideally long and thin. You can aim for around 6 inches long and half an inch wide as the standard.

Lay the strips onto an elevated baking/wire rack so the air can circulate underneath the pork slices. Brush with olive oil and season with sea salt and then flip it over and do the same to the other side.

2. Bake

Place the rack in the middle of the oven and bake.

How long the pork belly needs to be in the oven depends on your oven and how big the pork belly slices are. Also be mindful of how your oven tends to heat – most ovens heat unevenly so some parts of the pork will crisp much quicker than others.

This is why I recommend turning and repositioning the pork belly slices at least once. Let it bake for around 40 minutes until it’s golden and slightly crisped off (below left) and then flip it over so the undercooked side can get more heat (below right).

Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes – repositioning the slices if you need to even things out – until the pork belly is brown and crispy.

3. Make Parsley Sauce

This isn’t the third step, per se. You definitely have the time to do this while the pork is roasting.

Start by boiling a large pot of salted water. Add the potatoes and cook for around 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. You should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, melt 1/4 cup butter in a pot or saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour until it becomes a smooth, thick paste. Don’t let it burn – we want a blond roux!

As soon as the paste is smooth, begin to slowly pour in 2 cups of milk, whisking to combine. Add salt, pepper, and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes until the cream sauce is smooth and thick.

Finally, add in the chopped parsley and stir through to combine. Turn off the heat. Your creamy parsley sauce is ready to go!

4. Serve

Let’s plate it all up! Add the boiled potatoes and drizzle with creamy parsley sauce or serve the sauce separately. Enjoy!