Birnen Bohnen und Speck
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC0

History

Birnen Bohnen und Speck dates to 17th-century North German farm cooking, when the late-summer green-bean and pear harvests overlapped. Hamburg adopted the dish from the Schleswig-Holstein hinterland through the 19th century. The recipe is fixed: green beans, small whole hard pears (Kochbirnen), thick-sliced smoked bacon, savory (Bohnenkraut), and salted potatoes alongside. Old Commercial Room and Fischereihafen Restaurant cook the seasonal version through August and September.

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Common allergens: Pork

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g green beans, trimmed
  • 6 small hard pears (Kochbirnen), peeled and halved
  • 300g thick-sliced smoked bacon (Speck)
  • 1 bunch fresh savory (Bohnenkraut) or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 800g salted boiled potatoes to serve

Method

  1. In a deep pan, fry the bacon on medium-low heat 8 minutes until the fat renders.
  2. Add the stock and the savory; bring to a simmer.
  3. Add the green beans; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Add the pears; simmer 10 more minutes until pears are soft but holding shape.
  5. Season with salt and pepper. The liquid should be a thin broth.
  6. Serve in deep bowls with salted boiled potatoes alongside.

Tip from the editors. Use hard cooking pears (Kochbirnen) only; eating pears collapse into the broth.

Where to eat birnen bohnen und speck

Birnen Bohnen und Speck in Hamburg

Old Commercial Room ★ 4.4

€€ GermanNeustadt

Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.

OrderThe Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.

TipOpen daily; lunch tables more available than dinner. Cash welcome but cards accepted.

Directions Book

Fischereihafen Restaurant ★ 4.3

€€€ Hanseatic SeafoodAltona

Fischereihafen Restaurant on Grosse Elbstrasse in Hamburg-Altona has cooked classical Hanseatic seafood since 1981, with daily catch from the harbour below.

OrderThe Hamburger Aalsuppe; the Pannfisch with mustard sauce.

TipWindow-row tables face the Elbe; ask at booking. Open daily 11:30-22:00.

Directions Book

Deichgraf ★ 4.2

€€ GermanNeustadt

Deichgraf on the historic Deichstrasse in Hamburg cooks classical Hanseatic dishes on the city's oldest canal-side street, with a single beam.

Why locals goOn the Deichstrasse canal-side row rebuilt after the 1842 fire, that most tourists walk past.

TipWindow tables face the Nikolaifleet canal. Ask for the Labskaus with the original Rollmops topping.

Directions

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