Berlin Pork Hock: Eisbein

Pork hocks are common fare in German regions, and along with that love of this part of the pig comes many regional terms, often involving words closely related to English "hock." In Berlin the culinary term "Eisbein" came along in the 1800s, although the cooking of pickled pork hocks in this way likely preceded the name of the dish. It literally means "ice-bone," and the plural, "Eisbeine," is used for "cold feet," in the literal sense, but also in the slang sense of "cold feet;" often including the verb "bekommen," that is, "to get cold feet; the nervous reluctance to go forward with something already committed to," often, but not exclusively used in reference to men wanting to back out of a marriage commitment. The origin of the term "Eisbein" is quite difficult to pin down. "Originally" in the Germanic languages it "may" have been an attempt to mimic Latin "ischium/ischia," a term Latin borrowed from transliterated Greek "ischion," and meaning "a part of the pelvic bone;" thus, "a part of the hip," and this was the meaning in the Germanic languages also; so, no actual initial connection to "ice." Later, and this is much more certain, the shinbones of hogs were used to make the blades or runners of ice skates, and the same term was applied, which moved the meaning away from the hip and further down the leg, while also giving the word a direct connection to "ice." To be clear, in modern German, "Eisbein" is a culinary term closely identified with Berlin.  

"Eisbein" is a pickled pork hock (some say "pig's knuckle"); that is, it is cured in a brine solution, but it is not smoked. This dish is not hard to make, it just takes time; namely, it takes a day or two to cure the pork hocks, and it takes some time to then cook the hocks. Pickling meat has long been used to help preserve it and to add flavor. Some pickled meats are then smoked. There are different recipes to pickle pork and there are also different types of salt used in these various recipes, as some salts (sodium nitrite) help to reduce the risk of bacterial growth for pork that is likely to be kept for a longer period of time. This here is just a very basic recipe for a short process and for the pork hocks to be used immediately and not kept for a lengthy amount of time. It is not terribly salty. In this recipe you'll want to use pure sea salt or kosher salt (not iodized). Regular table salt usually has iodine and also anti caking additives. Now, if you use regular table salt, will you be shot at sunrise? No, but you're apt to be hanged by late afternoon. hahaha! 

    

Berliners often serve Eisbein with sauerkraut, potatoes and pease pudding (German: Erbspüree*) and it is one of the dishes known for being part of the Berlin food scene. I had Eisbein in Berlin many years ago, when the city was still divided between the communist eastern districts and the democratic western districts, with the infamous "wall" being both the fact and the visible symbol reinforcing the political division. 

Ingredients (2 servings):

2 fresh (raw) pork hocks

1/2 cup salt (sea salt or kosher salt, neither with iodine), for each quart of water

water (enough to cover the hocks in whatever pot or other container you're using)

 

For cooking:

1 large onion, chopped (large chop is fine)

2 bay leaves

4 whole cloves (or whole allspice, if you'd like)

8 to 10 whole black peppercorns

1 tablespoon sugar 

water to cover

 

Put the raw pork hocks into either a stainless steel pot, enamel coated pot, large glass or crockware bowl/container. How much water you use to cover the hocks will determine the amount of salt you use. If you have a blender or other container marked with measurements for liquids, that would be really good. Mix the salt with the water. Pour the salt solution over the pork hocks. Make sure the hocks are covered with the solution. Cover the pot/container and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Check to make sure the hocks remain submerged in the brine during the process. To cook: Remove the pork hocks from the brine and give the hocks a little rinse under cold running water (discard the brine). Put the hocks into a pot and cover them with fresh water (Note: a crockpot or other slow cooker works well with this too). Add the chopped onion, bay leaves, whole cloves and whole peppercorns. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain the slightest simmer. Cover the pot. After 30 minutes, add the sugar. Maintain the bare simmer until the hocks are tender (generally a total of about 2 to 4 hours).       

* For the recipe for German pease pudding, here is the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/10/german-pease-pudding-erbspuree.html

 

Pork hock (Eisbein) with sauerkraut, boiled potatoes (Salzkartoffeln) and pease pudding (Erbspüree)

WORD HISTORY:

Pea (Pease)-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown. It goes back to transliterated Greek "pison," meaning, "the name of both the plant and the seed of that particular plant which produces pods encasing its seeds, which are edible." Latin borrowed the word as "pisum." Both the Greek and Latin forms mentioned were singular, with the Latin plural being "pisa." Old English borrowed the word from Latin as "pise" (plural: pisan), with "pise" then becoming "pese" (plural: pesen) and then "pease," in the singular and "peasen" in the plural, but by that time, more and more English plurals were being formed by adding "s" or "es," and thus the singular form "pease" was taken to be the plural, and therefore "pea" was thought by English speakers to be the proper singular. The use of the form "pea" was so popular it overwhelmed any use of "pease" as the singular by the first half of the 1600s, and "peas," without the ending 'e,' became the plural. "Pease" (usually pronounced as if "peez") is a word rarely seen in American English, and I would assume likewise in Canada, although you may run across it in the rhyme, "Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot, nine days old," although I'm not sure that's even very common today. I'm not sure about the use of "pease" in England and the rest of the UK, although it is certainly used in the dish "pease pudding," as it replaced the term "pease porridge," which had replaced the term "pease pottage." Long ago in English "pease" was also used as a collective term, as "corn" has been used.^ Not sure if they use the word "pease" much in Australia and New Zealand. Over time the word "pea" came to be used for some other bean type foods like "blackeyed peas" and "pigeon peas." 

 

^  In English, "corn" and its many relatives in the other Germanic languages simply meant "grain" ("grain" is a Latin derived word borrowed by English). Maize was a food from the New World, and English and English speaking settlers began using their own word, "corn," for the "grain" (kernels) of the plant and for the plant itself. That has continued to this day in the U.S., although "maize" is often used in other English speaking countries. "Maize" is rarely heard in American English.