Slavink
Encyclopedia
Slavink is a Dutch
meat dish consisting usually of ground meat called "half and half" (half beef
, half pork
) wrapped in bacon
(the Dutch equivalent of bacon is, however, not smoked), and cooked in butter
or vegetable oil for about 15 minutes. A variation of the dish called blinde vink is made by wrapping ground veal
in a thin veal cutlet. Slavinken and blinde vinken are usually prepared and bought at the butcher
y or the supermarket; a standard slavink, before cooking, weighs around 100 grams. The bacon is "glued" to the filling with transglutaminase
, an enzyme
that bonds protein
s (and is usually extracted from animal blood
).
The slavink was developed in 1952 by a butchery, Slagerij Spoelder in Laren
, which won him an award, the "Golden Butcher's Ring." Originally, the filling of a slavink was made from smoked sausage
. The term "slavink" loosely translates to beatfinch. The term is probably an abbreviation of slagersvink, that is, a "finch" prepared by the butcher ("slager").
The slavink often emblematizes traditional Dutch cuisine, as in the book De taal van de verpleging, a Dutch language guide for non-native nurses working in the Netherlands, and is especially favored by the older generations.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
meat dish consisting usually of ground meat called "half and half" (half beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, half pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
) wrapped in bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
(the Dutch equivalent of bacon is, however, not smoked), and cooked in butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
or vegetable oil for about 15 minutes. A variation of the dish called blinde vink is made by wrapping ground veal
Veal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
in a thin veal cutlet. Slavinken and blinde vinken are usually prepared and bought at the butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
y or the supermarket; a standard slavink, before cooking, weighs around 100 grams. The bacon is "glued" to the filling with transglutaminase
Transglutaminase
Transglutaminases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the formation of a covalent bond between a free amine group and the gamma-carboxamid group of protein- or peptide-bound glutamine. Bonds formed by transglutaminase exhibit high resistance to proteolytic degradation.Transglutaminases were...
, an enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that bonds protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s (and is usually extracted from animal blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
).
The slavink was developed in 1952 by a butchery, Slagerij Spoelder in Laren
Laren
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called 't Gooi, it is the oldest town in that area. It is one of the richest towns in the Netherlands, along with its neighbour Blaricum...
, which won him an award, the "Golden Butcher's Ring." Originally, the filling of a slavink was made from smoked sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
. The term "slavink" loosely translates to beatfinch. The term is probably an abbreviation of slagersvink, that is, a "finch" prepared by the butcher ("slager").
The slavink often emblematizes traditional Dutch cuisine, as in the book De taal van de verpleging, a Dutch language guide for non-native nurses working in the Netherlands, and is especially favored by the older generations.