Top 100 European Pork Dishes

Leitão a Bairrada is a Portuguese dish of suckling pig that's roasted and basted until the flesh becomes creamy and the skin develops its typical crunchiness. It is said that the best place to try this delicacy is the Bairrada wine region, particularly the city of Mealhada. Pigs from this region are considered the best in Portugal, and they feed mostly on acorns. Their meat is rubbed with fat, coarse salt, pepper, and garlic, and it's then skewered on a pole before being cooked in eucalyptus-and-vine-fueled ovens. Once prepared, the suckling pig is traditionally served with batatas fritas, orange slices, and a fresh salad on the side. The dish is so popular in Portugal that there is even a brotherhood of Leitão da Bairrada.Expand

This traditional Portugal dish combines marinated pieces of pork with clams and a lightly spicy, wine-infused sauce. Though the name of this classic might imply it originated in Alentejo, it is believed that it initially appeared in the Algarve region, but was given its current name because of the highly-prized black pigs that are most commonly reared in Alentejo. The dish is a restaurant staple that is found throughout Portugal. It is usually garnished with fresh cilantro and paired with lemon wedges, pan-fried potatoes, and country-style bread on the side.Expand

Porchetta di Ariccia is a savory, moist, boneless pork roast with origins in the province of Rome, along with being a culinary icon of the Lazio region. Mature pigs are deboned and stuffed with numerous seasonings such as fennel, rosemary, and garlic. The pigs are then slowly roasted on a spit over a wood fire, resulting in succulent meat and crispy skin. The name of the dish stems from the word porco, meaning pork. It is a staple of numerous village festivals, fairs, markets, and concerts, when the street of Rome are packed with food trucks selling this flavorful dish. In Rome, it is street food that is usually served on its own or as a filling for sandwiches. Although it is one of the country's earliest specialties, dating back to the Roman Empire, a small town in Rome's Castelli called Ariccia claims its invention, and the huge popularity of the dish dates back to the 1950s when the producers of this delicacy (called porchettari) celebrated the Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia, a popular festival in the city that serves to promote this unique dish. Italian immigrants brought the dish to the United States in the early 20th century, where it is often referred to as Italian pulled pork, usually served with spinach and cheese on sandwiches.Expand

Schnitzel Wiener Art is a take on the classic of Austrian cuisine, the Wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet. But unlike the traditional Wiener schnitzel, the schnitzel Wiener Art is made with a pork cutlet, not a veal one. The reason behind this switch is the fact that pork is much cheaper and more available than veal. Today, most restaurants in Austria and Germany serve the Wiener schnitzel made with pork and not the real Wiener schnitzel. Luckily, they are obliged by law to state so on their menu. Schnitzel Wiener Art is prepared the same way as the traditional Wiener schnitzel. The pork is thinly pounded, breaded, and pan-fried, usually in oil or a mix of oil and butter. When it comes to serving, the same side dishes are served as with the traditional Wiener schnitzel — a potato salad, French fries, and parsley potatoes will all do, and to cut through the fat, any of the following — a dollop of lingonberry jam, a salad, or lemon wedges to squeeze over the meat — should also be present when the schnitzel is served.Expand

Porchetta is a traditional, moist, boneless pork roast prepared all over Italy. This rustic dish is made by carefully deboning a piglet or a fully grown pig, flavoring it generously with salt, garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds or some other aromatic herbs and filling it with the stuffing, which changes depending on the region - it can be the liver, fat or pieces of skin and meat, also flavored with salt and spices. The meat is then rolled up, spitted and slowly roasted over a wood fire. When finished, it is sliced very thinly and served warm or cold with some bread. Although popular in the whole country, with many regions offering their spin on the recipe, porchetta originated in central Italy, with Ariccia, in the Province of Rome, being the town most closely associated with it. Porchetta is considered to be a festive dish, but due to its deliciousness and popularity, nowadays it is also a favorite street food, usually served on its own or as a filling for sandwiches.Expand

Considered to be a variation of the more famous Wiener schnitzel, the breaded pork cutlet known as kotlet Schabowy is one of the most popular Polish dishes. Even though it appeared in the 19th century under the influence of Austrian and German culinary tradition, it quickly became a mainstay in restaurants and households throughout the country. It is typically prepared with a thin breaded pork chop or tenderloin, fried in lard, and served alongside cooked potatoes, sauerkraut, and various fresh and pickled salads.Expand

Bifana is a classic Portuguese sandwich that employs few ingredients but makes for an exquisite dish. It consists of a seasoned, lightly pounded, sliced or whole pork steaks that are simmered in garlicky sauce, and then placed inside a bread roll. The variations on this classic can slightly differ depending on the region. In the north, the steaks are simmered in a spicy broth that is usually drizzled on the bread roll. Bifana is traditionally consumed without additional condiments, but it is occasionally accompanied by sautéed onions. In Lisbon, the meat is sometimes marinated and grilled, while mustard is a common accompaniment in Lisbon and in the south of Portugal. Regardless of the slight differences, all varieties produce moist and juicy steaks that perfectly pair with crusty bread rolls. Not much is known about the origin of bifana, and even though it is enjoyed throughout the country, it is often suggested that it first appeared in the municipality of Vendas Novas. The popularity of bifana in Portugal is reflected in the fact that even McDonalds has included it in their menu under the name McBifana.Expand

The term Schweinshaxe is typically used in the southern parts of Germany, predominantly in Bavaria, and it usually refers to a whole pork knuckle that is roasted for hours until it is thoroughly cooked and the skin becomes golden brown and crispy. Pork knuckles are a staple in traditional German cuisine, and they come with various names such as hachse, haxe, haxn, knöchla, hechse, hämmchen, and bötel, mainly depending on the region and a slightly different preparation process. Eisbein is the northern version of the dish that is typically cured or pickled and then boiled. Though it is commonly found in restaurants throughout the country and the region, Schweinshaxe is a quintessential dish at the popular folk festival Oktoberfest. The knuckle is almost always served whole, and it's usually accompanied by sauerkraut, braised cabbage, roasted potatoes, or potato dumplings. Similar dishes are found in other European countries, such as pečené vepřové koleno in the Czech Republic. Expand