Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck is green beans simmered with bacon and whole cooking pears. It's a traditional North German dish, particularly associated with Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, and the name is refreshingly literal: it names the pears, beans and bacon in the pot, though not the order they're cooked in. Most recipes start by cooking the speck first.

What it actually is

Green beans, seasoned with summer savory (Bohnenkraut), the characteristic herb of the traditional recipe, simmer with diced smoked bacon (speck) in salted water until tender and take on its smoky fat. The cooking liquid is traditionally thickened with a little wheat flour. Pears are usually small, firm cooking pears (Kochbirnen), mostly cooked unpeeled with their stalks left on.

When the pears go in varies. In traditional recipes they are sometimes cooked with the beans and sometimes added later. The aim is always the same: pears that are fully cooked but still hold 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 potatoes, which are part of the dish, served alongside 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

• Declare wheat (gluten): the cooking liquid is traditionally thickened with wheat flour. Flour-free versions don't contain it.
• Declare nitrite curing salt: smoked speck is often cured with it. It is an additive, not one of the 14 EU allergens.
• Say that it contains pears alongside the beans and bacon, since the sweet-savoury combination isn't always expected from the name alone.
• Mention that it's traditionally eaten as a standalone main, not a side, despite the vegetable-forward name.