Where does Eisbein come from?

Eisbein — country of origin: Germany.

What is Eisbein made of?

Pork, sauerkraut, split pea, butter, potato, onion, celery, bay leaf, juniper berry, marjoram, black pepper.

Which allergens does Eisbein contain?

Contains milk and milk products (including lactose). Contains celery and celery products.

How do you pronounce Eisbein?

Eisbein (German) is pronounced /ˈaɪ̯sˌbaɪ̯n/.

Eisbein

Pronunciation (IPA) /ˈaɪ̯sˌbaɪ̯n/

A salt-cured pork knuckle boiled until tender and served with sauerkraut and pea purée — Berlin's winter classic, whose name may come from the bone once used for ice skates or from an old word for hip bone.

Also known as: Salt-cured pork knuckle · Berlin Eisbein

Allergens & declarations

Contains

Milk (including Lactose)

Contains milk and milk products (including lactose)

Celery

Contains celery and celery products

Also declarable

With Nitrite Curing Salt — Contains nitrite curing salt

This describes the classic recipe, so you know what to ask about. It is not a declaration for any particular kitchen — recipes and suppliers vary, and only the restaurant can tell you what is in the dish it serves.

In detail

Eisbein is a salt-cured pork knuckle boiled until tender and served with sauerkraut and pea purée. It's Berlin's winter classic, and where the name comes from is not certain. One theory says the cleaned leg bones were once used as runners for ice skates or sleds, hence "ice leg"; another traces it to an old German word, īsbēn, meaning hip bone, and is often considered the more likely of the two.

What it actually is

A pork knuckle is cured with salt (Pökeln, not pickling in vinegar) in a brine with bay leaf, juniper berry and spices for several days. The characteristic pink colour of the skin and meat comes from nitrite curing salt, rather than the deep brown of a roasted knuckle. It's then boiled slowly in fresh water until the meat is completely tender and pulls easily from the bone, the gelatinous skin turning soft rather than crisp — the opposite finish from a roasted Schweinshaxe.

Because it's cured and boiled rather than roasted, the skin here is meant to be soft and yielding; a guest expecting the crackling skin of a Schweinshaxe is ordering the wrong dish.

How it's served

Whole, on the bone, the pale pink cured skin left soft rather than crisped.
With sauerkraut and a mound of pea purée, the traditional Berlin sides, though not every restaurant serves both. The purée is usually made from yellow split peas, with potatoes, onion, marjoram, peppercorns and butter.
With boiled potatoes, plain, to round out the plate.

Declare nitrite curing salt, which gives the cured pink colour; it is an additive declaration, not one of the 14 EU allergens.
List the allergens celery (the soup vegetables in the cooking liquid) and milk (the butter in the pea purée). Add mustard only if mustard is served with it.
Distinguish it clearly from Schweinshaxe if both appear on a menu; one is boiled with soft skin, the other roasted with crackling skin, and they're genuinely different textures by design.
Flag it as a cold-weather dish, traditionally more common on a winter menu than a summer one.

Typical ingredients

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Frequently asked questions

What is Eisbein?: A salt-cured pork knuckle boiled until tender and served with sauerkraut and pea purée — Berlin's winter classic, whose name may come from the bone once used for ice skates or from an old word for hip bone.
Where does Eisbein come from?: Eisbein — country of origin: Germany.
What is Eisbein made of?: Pork, sauerkraut, split pea, butter, potato, onion, celery, bay leaf, juniper berry, marjoram, black pepper.
Which allergens does Eisbein contain?: Contains milk and milk products (including lactose). Contains celery and celery products.
What is Eisbein also known as?: Salt-cured pork knuckle, Berlin Eisbein.
How do you pronounce Eisbein?: Eisbein (German) is pronounced /ˈaɪ̯sˌbaɪ̯n/. Select the speaker button next to the dish name to hear it.