Balkenbrij

Balkenbrij, a name that roughly translates to “belly porridge,” is a cold meat pudding made from pork broth, buckwheat meal, and the “waste” or leftover products of animal slaughter. It has a remarkable pinkish color resulting from the rommelkruid (mixed spices). Rommelkruid is an uncommon seasoning nowadays and consists of ground licorice, sugar, anise, cinnamon, ginger, and sandalwood, the latter giving the product its typical color. Balkenbrij also contains currants, raisins, and pieces of fried bacon, and the finished product can have a slightly sweet taste.

In home slaughtering situations, people would use a large, enameled kettle of about 100 liters, in which they normally did the laundry, to boil the sausages and the pig head. The broth and the meal for balkenbrij could fill half a kettle. Those who could afford it made a "short" balkenbrij, with less broth and meal and more meat. It usually has a loaf shape and may weigh up to one kilogram. The consistency is moist and mealy, and the structure is determined by the size and the quantity of the organ meat used. Although balkenbrij was a typical product of home slaughtering, many butchers still make it.

Depending on where it is made, there are rather strong regional differences in the composition and taste, but preparation is basically the same: broth, minced organ meat, and meal are boiled until the mass thickens and boils up three times. Spices and salt are added and the mixture is left to stiffen. In the Gooi region, a plain balkenbrij was made. In the IJssel region, butchers used to make a version without meat and meat broth during the Lenten period. In the southern parts of the Netherlands, balkenbrij is "a delicacy which should not lack at any Christmas breakfast," and in the province of Limburg, balkenbrij without blood is unthinkable. The boundaries between the areas with different kinds of balkenbrij are sometimes very marked. Typical variations include the type of meal used (usually buckwheat, but sometimes also rye) and the quantities and types of broth and spices used.

What also varies regionally is how balkenbrij is consumed. Present-day balkenbrij is no doubt much richer than it used to be. It is eaten by elderly people in particular. The savory pudding is cut into thick slices and baked on both sides in lard, beef fat or butter, until brown and crisp. Sometimes the slices are first dusted with flour. The sweeter Gelderse balkenbrij is eaten with sugar or treacle. In the Achterhoek region (Gelderland), people used to eat it together with rye bread, instead of the usual pancakes. In Limburg, balkenbrij was also eaten as a substitute of meat in hot dishes.

Modern and younger consumers must be persuaded in other ways. The successful campaign “Tafelen in Nederland” (“Dining in the Netherlands”) in 1995 promoted a calendar of monthly meals with typical recipes and ingredients from around the country. The calendar mentions, amongst other things, "wild boar fillet with balkenbrij in puff pastry.” Today, about 30 butchers in Gelderland, and about 50 butchers in other ares (North Brabant and Limburg in particular) still produce balkenbrij in the winter season, but both production and consumption are decreasing, due to a labor intensive process and a loss of interest among consumers.