Ask what the national dish of Luxembourg is, and this is the plate whose name comes up first. Thick slices of smoked pork are laid on the plate, and beside them a generous helping of pale green broad beans in a velvety cream sauce. Boiled potatoes and a spoonful of Luxembourg mustard go alongside. Judd mat Gaardebounen is Luxembourgish for "Judd with broad beans." This plain pairing of smoked pork and broad beans is the national dish this small country is proud of.
The method is to simmer smoked pork gently with aromatics for about 2 hours and to build the broad bean sauce from that cooking liquid. The smoky aroma and saltiness of the pork move into the broth, and that becomes the taste of the sauce. Using the cooking liquid instead of throwing it away is the heart of this dish.
The broad bean village, and two theories about the name
Judd is smoked pork shoulder. Butchers in Luxembourg sell it both cooked and raw. Gaardebounen literally means "garden beans," that is, broad beans. Luxtoday, which introduces Luxembourg cooking, presents the dish as one that "many consider Luxembourg's national dish" and explains that it is rooted in rural life.
Deeply tied to this dish is the village of Gostingen in southeastern Luxembourg. The village's broad beans are well known, and its people have long been called by a nickname tied to the bean, "Bounepatscherten." So thoroughly are broad beans woven into life here that villages even get bean nicknames.
The origin of the word "Judd" is unclear. The linguist Jean-Claude Müller has proposed that it comes from the Spanish word for bean, "judía." In Galicia in northwestern Spain there is a similar dish of pork and broad beans called "judía," and the idea is that Spanish troops brought it to Luxembourg in the 16th and 17th centuries. If so, the name of the dish would mean "beans and beans."
Luxembourg is a small country surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium. This dish, combining smoked pork and beans, shows the plain preservation wisdom of farm households. Pork is smoked and kept, and cooked with beans grown in the garden or field. A farm-kitchen dish like that has become the plate that represents the country.
When you eat it, boiled potatoes alongside and wine or beer are the usual accompaniments. Luxembourg is also a wine region, with vineyards spreading along the Moselle River, and some versions add a glass of Moselle wine when simmering the pork.
Ingredients (serves 4)
The "Judd" used in Luxembourg is raw pork shoulder that has been salted and smoked. A true equivalent is rarely sold elsewhere, so the realistic choice is a piece of shoulder bacon from a butcher or online. Anne Faber's recipe also says that if Judd is unavailable you can substitute boneless smoked ham (gammon). The saltiness of bacon pieces varies greatly by product, so do not skip the first blanching to remove salt.
In Luxembourg, broad beans with their skins already removed, sold in jars, are commonly used. Frozen peeled broad beans are convenient elsewhere. If using fresh broad beans, shell them, boil in salted water for 1–2 minutes and peel off the skins.
How to make Judd mat Gaardebounen
Prep takes about 15 minutes. Blanching the pork takes about 10 minutes, the simmering about 2 hours and the sauce about 15 minutes. The pork needs little attention while it simmers, so boil the potatoes during the last 30 minutes.
If you use raw smoked pork, heat the center to 75°C for at least 1 minute. Even if pork has been smoked or cured, eating it raw can lead to food poisoning or infection with the hepatitis E virus. Two hours of simmering cooks it through well, but checking the center with a thermometer makes sure.
Leaving the pork in the broth is to keep the meat from drying out and turning dry. Leave it in the pot until just before serving, and take it out right before slicing.
If the sauce is too thick, loosen it by adding broth 1 tbsp at a time. If too thin, reduce it over low heat for 1–2 minutes. Savory, in Luxembourgish Bounekräitchen ("bean herb"), is an herb that broad beans cannot do without.
With boiled potatoes and mustard, to a Luxembourg table
The smoked pork on the plate is faintly rosy, and when you bite it the smokiness and saltiness spread. Add the creamy broad bean sauce and floury potatoes and then a spoonful of mustard. The acidity of the mustard lightens the pork fat and the richness of the sauce. A smooth mustard is fine.
Wine or beer is the usual drink. Along the Moselle River in Luxembourg vineyards spread, so choosing a crisp white wine brings you closer to the pairing of the place.
Dishes pairing smoked pork with beans or cabbage exist across Europe. The German Bayrisch Kraut (in Japanese) is a warm Bavarian side dish of cabbage cooked with bacon and caraway. The Irish Dublin coddle (in Japanese) is a plain one-pot dish of sausage and bacon layered and simmered with potatoes.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use if I have no piece of bacon?
You can also make it with a piece of cooked ham. Ham is already cooked, so shorten the simmering in step 2 to about 30 minutes, just enough to move aroma and saltiness into the broth. The smoky aroma will be weaker.
I cannot get savory.
You can substitute dried thyme. It is stronger in aroma than savory, so start with about 2 tsp. Dried savory is sold under the name "summer savory" at herb specialists and online.
I worry about broad bean allergy.
Broad beans can, in rare cases, cause severe symptoms in people with a certain constitution. If you are concerned, make it with green peas or white beans for a different bean dish with the same sauce. This sauce also contains wheat and milk (butter and cream).
Can I make it ahead?
Cool the pork in the broth, refrigerate it together with the broth and finish it soon. Keep the broad bean sauce in a separate container in the refrigerator, and when reheating, heat over low heat while stirring until hot all the way through.
Sources
- Anne's Kitchen (Anne Faber), "Judd mat Gaardebounen." (accessed and checked 22 October 2026). https://anneskitchen.lu/judd-mat-gaardebounen/
- Luxtoday, Luz Castro, "Luxembourg traditional recipes." (accessed and checked 22 October 2026). https://luxtoday.lu/en/knowledge/luxembourg-traditional-recipes
- Wikipedia, "Judd mat Gaardebounen." (accessed and checked 22 October 2026). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judd_mat_Gaardebounen
- Bunkyo City, Tokyo, "Serving and selling raw pork is now prohibited!" (accessed and checked 22 October 2026). https://www.city.bunkyo.lg.jp/b026/p002888.html
