Pork apples (æbleflæsk) is a classic dish from Denmark.
Apples and pork is a classic combination, but how about serving it as a sandwich? This is what the Danes do.
Æbleflæsk is as simple as the name: It consists of apples (æbler) and pork (flæsk). It has been eaten for generations and dates back to the time when people had a farm and a couple of apple trees. The dish is served with the Danes’ favorite bread, rye bread, and is eaten like a sandwich. It combines the saltiness of the pork with the slight acidity of the apples and is enjoyed for breakfast (morgenmad).
Æbleflæsk is one of the dishes the acclaimed chef Thomas Herman makes in his cookbook, Brændende kærlighed (Burning love), where he goes back to the food of his childhood. James Price, known from the Danish television program “Eat with Price”, describes how his grandmother always made him æbleflæsk at least once a month for Sunday breakfast.
Pork apples (æbleflæsk) is the dish the Danes make when they are homesick. The dish they eat on Sundays when they make an extra effort with breakfast. The dish they make at Christmas or in December. The dish their grandmother made for them. The dish they make to remember their grandmother.
Danish Pork apples (æbleflæsk)
Slices of bacon
apples, quartered and halved
onion, chopped (thinly sliced)
sugar
salt and pepper
rye bread
Fry the bacon in a dry pan until crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Then fry the apples and onion in the remaining bacon fat. Fry the apples until they are tender but still hold their shape. Season with salt and pepper and a little bit sugar – the apples should not be sweet. Serve on top of – or along with – rye bread. Have a memorable weekend breakfast!
More Nordic dishes?
Scandinavian fry-up (pytt i panne)
Tilslørte bondepiker (apple trifle)
The open sandwich is back from the past
Skagentoast on Independence Day