The obituary of Helmut Kohl called his favourite dish “belly of pork”. The only connection that Saumagen (literally sow’s stomach) has with the pig’s belly is that its ingredients – chopped lean pork plus potato and a generous mixture of herbs – are contained, like haggis, in the lining of the animal’s stomach. It is then roasted, with the lining becoming nicely crisp. Margaret Thatcher was among those Kohl laid it on for.
