Kamper Steur

It was once quite common for residents of neighboring towns to mock one another, hugely exaggerating each other’s (supposed) flaws and passing along insulting stories through local folklore. What is far less common, however, is for a town’s own resident to ridicule his fellow citizens.

Yet that is exactly what happened in the little book Kamper Stukjes, published in 1852, a collection of short stories in which the inhabitants of Kampen, a city in Overijssel, are portrayed rather unfavorably. The book was written by “a native of Kampen,” who was later revealed to be the artist Jan Jacob Fels (1816–1883).

The stories describe the people of Kampen as hopelessly foolish. In one tale, they build a new tower but forget to include a staircase. In another, the mayor’s wife’s canary escapes, prompting the mayor to order the city gates closed so the bird cannot possibly fly away. You get the idea. 

Courtesy of Gouwenaar

These stories and name-calling, once meant as insults, sometimes evolve into markers of local pride, and become foods, festivals, and traditions. The story behind today’s dish is about a sturgeon, the famous Kamper steur, sturgeon from Kampen, and is a perfect example of this. 

According to the tale, the bishop is expected to visit the city, and a grand banquet is prepared in his honor. For the main course, a large steur, a sturgeon, is caught. However, word later arrives that the bishop has fallen ill and will postpone his visit. The townspeople are left wondering what to do with the enormous fish, until one clever soul proposes tying a bell around its neck and releasing it back into the water.

After all, when the bishop eventually recovers and comes to town, they would only need to listen for the ringing of the bell to locate the sturgeon and catch it again. Right? Right!

Well, when the bishop arrives, the sturgeon is nowhere to be heard or seen. The story in the book ends here, but somehow along the years, somebody somewhere added an addendum to the story, describing what the bishop was served instead of the sturgeon: Kamper steur, hard boiled eggs in a mustard sauce. 

What's interesting is, is that the dish with its fishy name existed long before the story was published. The earliest reference I've found to this particular dish with the name "Kempensche stuer" was 1574, so long before Fels's story in 1852 - an interesting twist. The mustard sauce is not a surprise: the province of Overijssel is famous for its mustards! 

This dish is quick to make, and makes a good substitute for meat. Every now and then I add a crunchy topping to switch it up a bit - I've added instructions below. Serves four. 

Kamper Steur

6 eggs

2 Tablespoons (30 grams) butter

3 Tablespoons (30 grams) flour

1 1/4 cup (300 ml) vegetable bouillon

2 Tablespoons coarse mustard

Parsley

Hard boil the eggs in your usual manner. If you don't have a method, try this: place them in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for one minute, then turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 13 minutes. Move to cold water or an ice bath for 5+ minutes to stop cooking. 

While the eggs are resting in the hot water, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until you have a paste, about two minutes, and then slowly add the vegetable stock. Keep stirring until you have a thick sauce, about five minutes. Stir in the mustard. Taste, and adjust the sauce with salt and pepper or, if you're like me, more mustard. 

Chop the parsley. Peel the eggs and cut them in half, lengthwise. Place them, cut side down in a dish. Stir one tablespoon of chopped parsley in the mustard sauce, and pour over the eggs. Top with additional parsley. 

Serve hot with a green salad and bread. 

*Optional: if texture is a big thing or if you prefer to have something crunchy, add a golden-brown gratin topping by mixing 1 cup of breadcrumbs/panko (approx. 50 grams) with 1/2 cup grated cheese, 2 Tablespoons (30 grams) melted butter, and the parsley, then sprinkle over the dish and broil for 2–3 minutes until bubbly. It's not original, but it sure is tasty!