Stegt Flaesk med Persillesovs

Stegt flaesk is thick slices of pork belly fried or oven-crisped until the fat renders and the edges shatter, served with plain boiled potatoes and a white sauce heavy with chopped parsley. That is all of it. A public vote organised in 2014 named it the national dish of Denmark, beating the open sandwich and the meatball, which surprised people abroad more than it surprised Danes. The traditional setting is a roadside inn, a kro, where it comes as much as you can eat and the plate is refilled until you stop. It is a winter dish that Danes eat all year round.

What you actually see

• The pork - thick belly slices fried until the fat is properly crisp.
• Parsley sauce - a white sauce loaded with chopped parsley, poured over the potatoes.
• The kro tradition - the roadside inns that serve it without limit.
• The 2014 vote - the public poll that made it the national dish.

When to go

Served year-round, though it suits a cold day. Lunch is the usual time and many inns run it as a fixed midday plate. Jutland and Funen keep the tradition more strongly than central Copenhagen. Book on Sundays, when Danish families eat out and the country inns fill up early.

Honest expectations

It is fat, salt, starch and very little else, and one plate is enough for most visitors even without the refills. Badly cooked versions come out soft and greasy rather than crisp, which ruins the whole point. Vegetarians have no version of this. It sits heavily for hours, so do not plan a long walk straight after.

Nearby

Country inns across Jutland and Funen serve it; Copenhagen lunch places keep a version on the menu.