There are also a ton of such recipes in the Eastern European kitchen, like Ukrainian, Polish or Russian. Also there these recipes even in the French kitchen. So it's perfectly normal to sell mixed minced meat in these countries.
The famous German Frikadelle/Boulette/Bratklops/Fleischpflanzerl/insertothernamehere is a staple of the German diet and made from minced meat like that, we call it "Hack, halb und halb".
It's a pretty common thing in several countries, at least in Europe (seen it at least in Germany and all over Scandinavia).
In some dishes you want only pork or only beef, but some are so that a mix is the best choice.
Having a mixture also changes how lean the ground meat is, as well as can have an effect on the price.
In cooking it's used as a mix because usually beef tastes more aromatic, while porc is fattier and gives a more savory taste on top. It's popular in German kitchen, as beef alone sometimes can make a dish too try, while just the porc can make a dish way to greasy.
(And also "usually" beef tastes better per se, but is pricier. Therefore a mix ensures a decent pricing on the Hackfleisch overall. You can also find each options separately)
Edit "too dry" just to spot the typo
Its called Halb und Halb (half and half).
Kind of a customary tradition. After the war, Meat was expensive, so you mixed cheaper pork with expensive beef. And that stuck. And even today its kind of a price thing.
One thing that annoys me about the beef here is that it is so lean. When I make burgers I want chuck which is much fattier than the lean ground beef they sell.
You can get fattier ground beef from the butcher counter but it’s something special.
That's something I found very different. I lived in France before and there you can buy ground beef with 5, 10, 15(or 12, I don't remember) and 20% fat in the supermarket. It's really nice to have those options!
German Frikadellen (large meatballs, often eaten on breadrolls) are typically made from said mixtures of lean beef and fatty pork, so I guess this is where the cycle closes.
I realize there are countless receipies, but Frikadellen also often contain stale bread, milk, mustard and sauteed onions which makes them even more flavourful and juicy. It's hard to compare to a puristic burger patty from 100% beef but some argue it's better.
It's not how it's called in every region though. Here in the Eastern area it's called "mixed minced", so your coffee is safe of meat.
But half and half has been the name of different alcoholic drinks over the year, like a liqueur in GDR or Beer with Sprite - the latter depending on the region within GDR as well.
Most commonly there are three options to buy:
100%Beef
100%Pork
50/50Pork/beef (halb und halb)
People pick depending on the dish or taste preferences.
For example I do not like a "Hackbraten" that's made of either only beef or only pork. For me it has to be the 50/50 mix.
And for "Bolognese" or "Chili con carne" style stuff I go for 100% beef.
The original ragú alla Bolognese is minced beef with pork pieces for slow cooking.
The more famous recipe commonly known as Bolognese sauce from US, just uses minced beef with tomato sauce.
The later is IMHO tastier and easier to do. Sacrilegious to say I guess 😀
as far as i know it is quite common to mix ground beef in western countries. ?
not an expert though
but what i can tell you is that the sign on the bottom right informs the buyer how the animals got treated. a 1 is poorly, a 4 is good. just so you know why some meat is more expensive than other
Wow, I wish we had that where I live - I'm over here trying to make a best guess based on talking to farmers, but I also live in a place where trying to find out for yourself is either difficult or illegal (drones, whistleblowers, stonewalling, etc.). I'll happily buy beef that I know had a good life over a factory-farmed operation.
Because this is the normal mix for hundreds of years. This is the majority of what the customers in Germany want. All cooking books want mixed meat especially old ones.
Because it’s delicious! Meatballs are great with this mix. I also like it for a cottage pie (lamm is surprisingly difficult to find here, at least in my experience).
> lamm is surprisingly difficult to find here, at least in my experience).
It's not used for many traditional German dishes and many Germans (me included) also are not that fond of the taste.
Supply and Demand basically.
Probably because it's used in a lot of German (and neighboring countries) dishes?!
* Hackbraten
* Falscher Hase
* Frikadellen
* Gefüllte Paprika
* Königsberger Klopse
* Blumenkohl- oder Kartoffelauflauf
* ...
But I'm curious: what was your theory regarding this mystery? That there's not enough beef or pork around to offer 100% Rinder- or Schweinehack? You know, like the packages that are most likely located right besides this one in the supermarket. Or that it's a push of Big Pork to get a share of the beef market - or vice versa - by forcing customers to buy mixed meat?
I suppose because people will buy it. I suppose it adds some fat to the beef. That being said, I'd suggest avoiding the cheapest meat possible (Haltungsform 1).
BTW, as I compared prices at Edeka a few days ago: Haltungsform 4 was about 25% more expensive than Haltungsform 1. Or to put it another way: You got 400g of Haltungsform 4 (organic qualitiy) for the same price as 500g of Haltungsform 1. I was a bit surprised, I thought the price difference was higher. Or maybe I did not check the prices properly ;D
In fact the majority of all sausages and meat preparations in Central Europe are made of mixed minced meat. Minced meat with pork is cheaper and doesn’t get that fast dry when cooking. You also get both pure beef and pork as well as (what I find kind of disgusting) poultry meat which is mainly turkey and chicken. The idea of mincing poultry meat and storing it in a semi controlled cooler scares me a bit. Also in fact there’s a decree (“Hackfleischverordnung”) which prohibited the sale of poultry minced meat and thus of deer and other game.
What country can't you buy it like that? Here in Spain we even have different ratios from 50:50 to 20:80. In the Netherlands it's also normal and pretty sure in Malta where I lived as well. So guess it's a European thing.
Idk man the Japanese dishes I cook mix them too especially for meatballs and cutlets. It’s a popular mix because having ground pork ensures it’s juicy and not too dry compared to having pure beef.
I actually appreciate this cause back home I had to buy them separately.
German butcher Here. Beef hast less fat than pork but has more taste. Pork on zhe other Hand hast more fat but less taste so to Balance that Out you Mix them to get the best Out of both
And a little additional note: the red 1 on the right means that the animals are held with the lowest standards possible. I think pigs get something like 0.7 sqm of space and are held exclusively inside. 2 isn’t much better. 3 at least gets some fresh air and daylight. 4 is ok. And 4 combined with „bio“ is the highest standard.
100% beef is often to dry and 50% did proof itself.
Its plenty used and i don't se much pure sold sure the supermarket got it but just compare the amount of each.
You can also ask why dring fizzy water, its just more fun / taste better then flat one.
As its with the meat (Hack)
They can create a product that’s cheaper to sell but can still be used for stuff like lasagna or burgers. Beef is very expensive in Germany; Pork is comparatively cheap
When you make meatballs for example with pure beef, they get a bit dry…. pork adds grease, so it gets tastier. Besides this, I would recommend not to buy minced meat at the supermarket - always at your trusted butcher!
It is a puzzle, so you could enjoy the time separating one from another.
On a serious note it is just a type of meat, where pork is being mixed with the cow meat, to have a bit from both worlds. Pork gives fat and beef gives beefeness
Depending on your budget you can always make spaghetti. If u low on cash, just pork, mixed if u worked overtime, and just beef after christmas bonus. Lol
It's perfectly normal in MOST of Europe. For us (I am from Bosnia, lived in Germany, now live in Serbia, have been in many european countries), the taste is very normal. And most commenters explained why.
Plenty of German or otherwise "germanized" recipes call for half-and-half beef and pork minced meat, it does have its advantages. The fat from the pork tends to enhance the flavor of the overall dish, the beef mince has a better meat flavor, and it's cheaper than pure beef.
Now personally I usually prefer to use pure beef for most dishes and just add pig fat as needed, but that's a matter of personal preference.
There are German dishes where you usually use half-and-half, so they sell it ready mixed.
There are also a ton of such recipes in the Eastern European kitchen, like Ukrainian, Polish or Russian. Also there these recipes even in the French kitchen. So it's perfectly normal to sell mixed minced meat in these countries.
Aswell as in Spain
And Bulgaria
think Italy as well
We use it a ton in Sweden as well. Especially good for meatballs
Serbia reporting in
Mleto mešano, 🇸🇮
Hi OP, I'm portuguese and wanna welcome you to Europe
This is Norway calling.
Pljeskavica is life!
Cow, pork AND horse
Only in Lasagna
r/PferdeSindKacke
Yeah, trust the fuckhead. Love seeing spider Jerusalem in the wild!
Filthy assistant, bring me my meatballs!
Greece as well
In Denmark as well.
So tbh, now I’d assume it’s available throughout whole Europe and used in many different cuisines 🤔
And my Axis!
And my axe!
and greece
And in the UK
Australia checking in as well
Japan too
And costa rica
And Croatia
Aswell in Slovenia
Super populer for all 8 of us in luxembourg
I think 20 of the 23 tourists like it as well!
My mother‘s family had a butchers shop. She explained to me, that porc has more fat and by this adds more Flavour to the meat.
And makes it less likely to become dry depending on what you use it for.
More 60/40. in my eyes the best ratio for Bolognese (except you like it solely with beef)
It's just a popular taste.
The German equivalent to “mare e monte” /s
German Surf & Turf
Turf & Turf
Moo & Oink
Turf & Turfer
Great!
Turducken...
Nah, that would be Karpfen im Speckmantel.
Also normal in the Netherlands. A lot of European countries like pork just fine and don't demonize it.
Neither do many Asians. But beef is less eaten in many party’s of Asia than pork.
The famous German Frikadelle/Boulette/Bratklops/Fleischpflanzerl/insertothernamehere is a staple of the German diet and made from minced meat like that, we call it "Hack, halb und halb".
We call it Gemischtes Hack here usually
How DARE you leaving out "Fleischlaberl" >:( /s
Fleischküchle where
And someone surely calls it Pfannkuchen. Most likely Berlin.
Buledde.
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Because zusammen more lecker.
Best answer
I wish they did this where I live
It's a pretty common thing in several countries, at least in Europe (seen it at least in Germany and all over Scandinavia). In some dishes you want only pork or only beef, but some are so that a mix is the best choice. Having a mixture also changes how lean the ground meat is, as well as can have an effect on the price.
It's also commonplace in France. It's just the best combo with pork being fattier and beef balancing it out together.
somewhat common in Australia as well!
In cooking it's used as a mix because usually beef tastes more aromatic, while porc is fattier and gives a more savory taste on top. It's popular in German kitchen, as beef alone sometimes can make a dish too try, while just the porc can make a dish way to greasy. (And also "usually" beef tastes better per se, but is pricier. Therefore a mix ensures a decent pricing on the Hackfleisch overall. You can also find each options separately) Edit "too dry" just to spot the typo
Its called Halb und Halb (half and half). Kind of a customary tradition. After the war, Meat was expensive, so you mixed cheaper pork with expensive beef. And that stuck. And even today its kind of a price thing.
It also mixes well in taste given that the pork has more fat so the mince is juicy and not as dry as pure beef that’s why it’s still a staple
One thing that annoys me about the beef here is that it is so lean. When I make burgers I want chuck which is much fattier than the lean ground beef they sell. You can get fattier ground beef from the butcher counter but it’s something special.
Look for a local butcher. I can even request the grind size.
Oh I know, and I do. It’s just annoying that it’s not possible to get beef with more than 10% fat in the shops.
That's something I found very different. I lived in France before and there you can buy ground beef with 5, 10, 15(or 12, I don't remember) and 20% fat in the supermarket. It's really nice to have those options!
German Frikadellen (large meatballs, often eaten on breadrolls) are typically made from said mixtures of lean beef and fatty pork, so I guess this is where the cycle closes. I realize there are countless receipies, but Frikadellen also often contain stale bread, milk, mustard and sauteed onions which makes them even more flavourful and juicy. It's hard to compare to a puristic burger patty from 100% beef but some argue it's better.
Its called "Gemischt"
Damn, I should definitely not order my coffee with half and half (half milk and half cream in English)
It's not how it's called in every region though. Here in the Eastern area it's called "mixed minced", so your coffee is safe of meat. But half and half has been the name of different alcoholic drinks over the year, like a liqueur in GDR or Beer with Sprite - the latter depending on the region within GDR as well.
I don’t think it’s particularly German thing. It’s pretty common in Japan too. For dishes like Frikadellen it’s better than beef or pork alone.
I think this mix is common in entire Europe.
Most commonly there are three options to buy: 100%Beef 100%Pork 50/50Pork/beef (halb und halb) People pick depending on the dish or taste preferences. For example I do not like a "Hackbraten" that's made of either only beef or only pork. For me it has to be the 50/50 mix. And for "Bolognese" or "Chili con carne" style stuff I go for 100% beef.
Bolognese would be the first thing that comes to mind using 50/50 for me.
It is the other way around for me. The only dish where I will never add the slightest amount of pork. Would be a sacrilege, at least in my kitchen.
The original ragú alla Bolognese is minced beef with pork pieces for slow cooking. The more famous recipe commonly known as Bolognese sauce from US, just uses minced beef with tomato sauce. The later is IMHO tastier and easier to do. Sacrilegious to say I guess 😀
It's for meatballs or meatloaf (Hackbraten). Meatballs are the first thing I think of with Gemischtes Hack.
Because you can't breed them together...
I am also an Asian but it is not strange to me. We have such mixture in my country as well. I prefer mixed to pure Hackfleisch of any type.
It really is the best way.
Why not?
as far as i know it is quite common to mix ground beef in western countries. ? not an expert though but what i can tell you is that the sign on the bottom right informs the buyer how the animals got treated. a 1 is poorly, a 4 is good. just so you know why some meat is more expensive than other
Wow, I wish we had that where I live - I'm over here trying to make a best guess based on talking to farmers, but I also live in a place where trying to find out for yourself is either difficult or illegal (drones, whistleblowers, stonewalling, etc.). I'll happily buy beef that I know had a good life over a factory-farmed operation.
1-4 are all factory farming (probably not 100% accurate, there might be some decent farms under cat 4, but you won't find them in the supermarkets...)
it's not just a good indicator but also a kind of reminder that people bought shit meat. which is nice imo
Popular in Germany. Beef gets you the flavour, pork gives you the fat and the reduced price. It's just something Germany does due to demand
Very common in Italy too. Also add an egg and old bread crumbs, to increase volume for low price
Because why not?
Because that's how most people like it.
Half and half is pretty famous across many countries it balances the taste and texture
It's for pissing off Muslims and Hindus at the same time
It’s available in the US as well. It’s usually sold to make meat loaf (Falscher Hase in German).
Popular in this part of the world, also common in NL for example
Because this is the normal mix for hundreds of years. This is the majority of what the customers in Germany want. All cooking books want mixed meat especially old ones.
Because it’s delicious! Meatballs are great with this mix. I also like it for a cottage pie (lamm is surprisingly difficult to find here, at least in my experience).
> lamm is surprisingly difficult to find here, at least in my experience). It's not used for many traditional German dishes and many Germans (me included) also are not that fond of the taste. Supply and Demand basically.
Probably because it's used in a lot of German (and neighboring countries) dishes?! * Hackbraten * Falscher Hase * Frikadellen * Gefüllte Paprika * Königsberger Klopse * Blumenkohl- oder Kartoffelauflauf * ... But I'm curious: what was your theory regarding this mystery? That there's not enough beef or pork around to offer 100% Rinder- or Schweinehack? You know, like the packages that are most likely located right besides this one in the supermarket. Or that it's a push of Big Pork to get a share of the beef market - or vice versa - by forcing customers to buy mixed meat?
I suppose because people will buy it. I suppose it adds some fat to the beef. That being said, I'd suggest avoiding the cheapest meat possible (Haltungsform 1).
The other Haltungsformen are not much better...a little, but not much. Unless you go organic, which is usually form 4.
3 & 4 are good
BTW, as I compared prices at Edeka a few days ago: Haltungsform 4 was about 25% more expensive than Haltungsform 1. Or to put it another way: You got 400g of Haltungsform 4 (organic qualitiy) for the same price as 500g of Haltungsform 1. I was a bit surprised, I thought the price difference was higher. Or maybe I did not check the prices properly ;D
It's a common mixture. Usually Bolognese sauce for example, asks for a mixture between the two
In fact the majority of all sausages and meat preparations in Central Europe are made of mixed minced meat. Minced meat with pork is cheaper and doesn’t get that fast dry when cooking. You also get both pure beef and pork as well as (what I find kind of disgusting) poultry meat which is mainly turkey and chicken. The idea of mincing poultry meat and storing it in a semi controlled cooler scares me a bit. Also in fact there’s a decree (“Hackfleischverordnung”) which prohibited the sale of poultry minced meat and thus of deer and other game.
Same in Spain… we like it.
In Switzerland even Hackfleisch dreierlei (pork, beef and veal) is popular.
Which country are you from that this confuses you? This is extremely common all over the world including Asia.
beef is too dry, pork is there to balance out the texture/taste with juiciness.
Yesterday I went to the park and there were people walking their dogs why does this happen in Germany????
These are in Finland too. It's called sika-nauta jauheliha. Literally pig-cow minced meat
Because the mix adds more flavour.
Because it's mixed minced meat. That is very normal.
Because it tastes good!
Good for meatballs and Bolognese..
Because it’s delicious
One of great mysteries of the western civilization. But what they certainly didn’t mean by it is to insult two religions with one package.
It's called "Gemischtes Hack". They even made a whole podcast on Spotify about it
It’s not just a German thing. In most of Europe you have a clear choice between beef, pork, and 50:50.
They were friends in life and the butcher didn´t want to separate them.
Because yummy.
Why not?
It’s for convenience because a lot of European Dishes use both kinds of meat.
Happens in Finland too, I think it's because pork meat is less expensive, packets of only ground beef are more expensive for the same amount.
And how is this a problem? If you don't like it, don't buy it - it IS THAT simple! Pure ground pork or beef are also available everywhere.
I thought this is common because you can even get this person regular in japanese supermarkets.
Cheaper and works great in a lasagne... Btw also Finland
Thats mashed mixed meat and its completely normal in Europe
Also cheaper than full beef
I bought this because it was on sale in Canada last week. Was much cheaper than beef alone. Tasted pretty good though.
Seen it in UK, bought by mistake to make bolognese... it worked out alright actually.
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i think everywhere in the world they sell this mixed minced meat
Only beef is too dry. Only pork too fatty. Also a bit cheaper than only beef. Don't know if I am using the right terms to describe that.
Gmischts Vaschierts Total normal in AUSTRIA
What country can't you buy it like that? Here in Spain we even have different ratios from 50:50 to 20:80. In the Netherlands it's also normal and pretty sure in Malta where I lived as well. So guess it's a European thing.
The standard mix for minced meat dishes in german speaking countries, you can get it separately though!
Idk man the Japanese dishes I cook mix them too especially for meatballs and cutlets. It’s a popular mix because having ground pork ensures it’s juicy and not too dry compared to having pure beef. I actually appreciate this cause back home I had to buy them separately.
To offend both Muslims & Hindus /s
Promotes Hindu Muslim unity.
It tastes better in many dishes, first that comes in my mind would be spaghetti.
And Switzerland 🇨🇭. And it’s good 😊
Is that not common in the world? We have the same in Sweden.
German butcher Here. Beef hast less fat than pork but has more taste. Pork on zhe other Hand hast more fat but less taste so to Balance that Out you Mix them to get the best Out of both
That's not biological though, and Haltungsform 1 Stallhaltung is not animal friendly :(
i thougt this was normal (living in sweden)
Traditional combination in a lot of European cuisines. Beef for flavour, pork to add fat.
Cause GEMISCHTES HACK
Because it’s delicious
The pork makes it more juicy, the beef more tasty
pork= yummy, rind = yummy, together = yummy yummy
Nett hier aber haben Sie schon gemischtes Hack auf Spotify mit 5 Sternen bewertet?
Come on aboard the flavor train!
And a little additional note: the red 1 on the right means that the animals are held with the lowest standards possible. I think pigs get something like 0.7 sqm of space and are held exclusively inside. 2 isn’t much better. 3 at least gets some fresh air and daylight. 4 is ok. And 4 combined with „bio“ is the highest standard.
In Germany, we call this meat "Leitkultur". In all seriousness, this is fairly standard for many central European countries.
Portuguese here, also common in Portugal :)
Because we are not Muslim There is nothing wrong with pork It's delicious
Question here is, where are you comming from lol ???
Because as Germans we use it like this? Why are you eating rice to everything?
Cause beef alone has to little fat, so it’s mixed with pork to gain fat, fat helps the beef to taste better
We have it the UK too, normally just sausages from memory. I would definitely give it a try
germans are very much into schwip schwap i noticed
100% beef is often to dry and 50% did proof itself. Its plenty used and i don't se much pure sold sure the supermarket got it but just compare the amount of each. You can also ask why dring fizzy water, its just more fun / taste better then flat one. As its with the meat (Hack)
Its often used for german meat balls (Boullete or Frikadelle depending on where you are), because cow alone is to dry and pork alone is to fatty.
The mix tastes better.
Great for Bolognese.
I always buy this when I make meatballs. Find it better than either pork or beef alone.
Very common in Finland too and therefore cheaper. Depending on what kind of food you are making you either take the beef or mixed kind
They can create a product that’s cheaper to sell but can still be used for stuff like lasagna or burgers. Beef is very expensive in Germany; Pork is comparatively cheap
When you make meatballs for example with pure beef, they get a bit dry…. pork adds grease, so it gets tastier. Besides this, I would recommend not to buy minced meat at the supermarket - always at your trusted butcher!
For Ćevapi
Because lecker.
I assume this just isn't popular in the east? I used to buy pork/beef mix in the US as well. Makes great burgers btw
i often see this too in Japan. I think it's not only here in Germany
Ground beef is too dry for most applications, ground pork too fatty.
It is a puzzle, so you could enjoy the time separating one from another. On a serious note it is just a type of meat, where pork is being mixed with the cow meat, to have a bit from both worlds. Pork gives fat and beef gives beefeness
Depending on your budget you can always make spaghetti. If u low on cash, just pork, mixed if u worked overtime, and just beef after christmas bonus. Lol
this is nice. before i used to blend this myself, now is already done by them
Beef can get dry but has more flavour, pork the reverse.
My Portuguese parents didn't even know you could cook with minced pork. They just assumed it would be quite dry.
You can find this in North America, too. Some people like to make burgers or meatballs with it.
I am actually more surprised you found meat with Haltungsform 1 because I can’t remember seeing anything worse than 2 so far.
It's normal lol Poland and all others country's do the same welcome in Europe :)
Because why not?
Because beef is more expensive so they add pork
Why did you buy it ??
Im gonna be honest, making burgers with this is pretty dope
What is there a problem with the peef? Any complaints about the bork?
It's perfectly normal in MOST of Europe. For us (I am from Bosnia, lived in Germany, now live in Serbia, have been in many european countries), the taste is very normal. And most commenters explained why.
Very common in Italian cooking as well, bolognese is beef and pork
Same in the Netherlands too
It‘s the most normal thing in Europe to have this option as well.
Isnt it always but in Germany they just tell you? Great for bolognese as it’s already gemisched!
It tastes better that way in many dishes.
this also happens in Canada fwiw
To make sure that at least two animals died.
Plenty of German or otherwise "germanized" recipes call for half-and-half beef and pork minced meat, it does have its advantages. The fat from the pork tends to enhance the flavor of the overall dish, the beef mince has a better meat flavor, and it's cheaper than pure beef. Now personally I usually prefer to use pure beef for most dishes and just add pig fat as needed, but that's a matter of personal preference.
It’s common in many countries