Flemish fatty bacon - Acknowledged regional product
Bacon, and fatty bacon in particular, is still very popular in the Kempen region. Jef Janssens and his son prepare their bacon like the old days, using fat Belgian pigs that can weigh 120 to 130 kg.
The professionally boned and sliced bacon is massaged with a mix of rough sea salt and fine salt, and is then left to dry for 8 days. The salt is then rinsed away and the bellies are hung up again to dry. This approach allows them to create solid pieces of bacon consisting on 60% white fat and 40% dark red meat. This bacon used to be a staple diet in Flanders in years gone by, but things have now changed. However, its nostalgic taste earns it a place in the region's pure cuisine.
Available at
V.O.F. Janssens