Äggakaka ''( English: Egg cake)'' is a traditional

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...

n dish that is similar to '' kolbullen'' or oven pancake (''ugnspankaka''), that is served with fried slices of

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine. Regional dishes France In Alsatian ...

and lingon berries. It used to be made for

farmworker A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including harv ...

s as it was easy to wrap up and eat out on the fields.

Preparation

When making ''äggakaka'' a batter similar to

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying wit ...

s is prepared, but with more

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

and

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many c ...

to make a creamier consistency. It is also common that grounded

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in di ...

is added to the batter. For frying; either the fat left over from the pork mixed with

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food), spread, melted a ...

is used, or just plain butter. When frying with just plain butter, the melted butter is later poured over the finished ''äggakaka'' as it contains a rich pork flavor. During cooking enough batter needs to be poured into the pan to create a thickness of at least 5 centimeters. To prevent burning of the ''äggakaka's'' underside the batter needs to be lifted continuously until it has a firm but creamy consistency. When the batter has almost solidified it is time to flip the cake. A big plate is put on the pan, which is then turned upside-down. More butter is added to the pan, and, when melted, the ''äggakaka'' is carefully returned into the pan by letting it slide off the plate, with the uncooked side downwards. When both sides are golden brown the ''äggakaka'' is finished. Unlike '' kolbullen'', ''äggakaka'' is made with a generous amount of eggs, thereof the name, and is fried in lots of butter. ''Äggakaka'' also requires proper kitchen equipment. According to some recipes, the ''äggakaka'' needs to be baked in an oven, but then it becomes more similar to an oven pancake and loses its characteristic butter fried surface.

Serving

''Äggakaka'' is always served with fried smoked pork. The fried pork is sometimes sliced or diced into the batter before cooking the ''äggakaka''. However, this causes the pork flavor to become weak. It is therefore more common to fry the pork separately, and then add it on top the finished ''äggakaka'' together with its melted fat.

Lingonberry jam Lingonberry jam ( sv, lingonsylt, no, tyttebærsyltetøy, da, tyttebærsyltetøj, et, pohlamoos, fi, puolukkahillo, german: Preiselbeermarmelade, lv, brūkleņu ievārījums, lt, bruknių uogienė) is a staple of Northern European cuisine a ...

is a common condiment to äggakaka. This is however a newer tradition as there is only a limited amount of

lingonberries ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'', the lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry, is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family Ericaceae, that bears edible fruit. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Nor ...

in the

n nature. A more common condiment in the older days used to be

apple sauce Apple sauce or applesauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and may be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and ...

or butter fried

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

slices.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aggakaka Swedish cuisine