Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck is green beans simmered with bacon until tender, sweetened with whole cooked pears added at the very end. It's a Hamburg dish, and the name is refreshingly literal — "pears, beans and bacon" — simply listing what's in the pot, in the order they traditionally go in.

What it actually is

Green beans, often with a sprig of savory for their traditional herbal pairing, simmer slowly with cubed bacon until the beans turn tender and take on the bacon's smoky fat. Firm, slightly under-ripe pears — peeled and left whole or halved — go in only toward the end, just long enough to warm through and soften slightly without collapsing into mush or losing their shape entirely.

The pears go in last for a reason. Added too early, they turn to mush in the simmering beans; the dish depends on the pears staying just soft enough to eat with a spoon while keeping their shape, a clear textural contrast against the beans and bacon.

How it's served

• Hot, in a deep bowl, beans, bacon and whole pears together with their cooking liquid.
• With boiled potato, often on the side or stirred through.
• As a hearty main, traditionally in late summer when green beans and pears are both in season.

Writing it on a menu

• Say that it contains pears alongside the beans and bacon, since the sweet-savoury combination isn't always expected from the name alone.
• Note the dish is best in late summer, when both key ingredients are freshly in season.
• Flag any allergens from the bacon's curing process, per local labelling rules.
• Mention that it's traditionally eaten as a standalone main, not a side, despite the vegetable-forward name.