Pork Dish of the Year

The gastronomic competition, Pork Dish of the Year, recently celebrated its 11th anniversary. The competition focuses on the use of good, local ingredients and the story behind the food itself. The winner of the competition is the chef or restaurant that can demonstrate great craftsmanship and deliver mouth-wateringly delicious pork.

The winner was announced on Monday 28 November when the food guide, the White Guide, in collaboration with the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, invited representatives from Denmark’s gastronomic community to their annual award.

Some 300+ chefs, food professionals and taste experts looked on as the winner of the Pork Dish of the Year 2022 was announced. Restaurant Resumé, which lies in the heart of Svendborg, a town on the island of Funen, took the honours. Although the restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, it was voted the winner, not least because of star chef Bjarke Jeppesen’s sure-of-touch taste universe and sublime use of the meat’s taste palette. The jury’s verdict on the winning dish was as follows:

“Classic flavour and presentation at their very best. Incredibly beautiful work on the main theme, where the pork’s characteristics permeate all aspects of the final result. The dish stages the pork in a most elegant way, with great respect for the ingredients and for the taste. It offers a complete journey into the taste and versatility of the meat where many cuts are brought into play. The dish not only allows the meat to stand out, but also succeeds in complementing and bringing extra life to the green garnish. Nice technical details from a chef who has mastered his technique, but also delivers on taste and balance. Congratulations!

Ten years ago, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council approached top chefs and asked them to define the taste of pork through creative interpretations and tastiness.

"Fast forward ten years, and many chefs are still passionate about the versatility of pork, its gastronomic quality and great taste. The new aspect is that pork lends more flavour to a significantly greener plate, where the vegetables are staged with the help of the great taste of the meat. And this is just what makes the pork so fantastic – that it represents a huge taste universe with a myriad of different nuances.

"This was apparent this year when the five fantastic dishes clearly put the taste of pork at the forefront but toned down the volume. It supports the image of less but better meat and great focus on taste,” says Anders Nicolajsen, Senior Consultant for Foodservice and Gastronomy at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and member of the jury.

In 2021, the Copenhagen restaurant, Palægade, scooped the award with their unique take on a modern version of 'Burning Love', which had pork in the main role, with grilled pork belly and sauce made from roasted pork bones and smoked lard.

The Pork Dish of the Year is organised by the Danish Agriculture and Pork Council with support from the Norma & Frode S. Jacobsen Foundation.