What Do They Eat In Denmark?

I knew nothing about Danish food before moving to Denmark in August of 2008. More wealthy individuals, particularly those in bigger cities, are dining out more and buying and creating cuisine with Italian, French, American, and Mexican influences.Rugbrd is a dark, sourdough rye bread that is the quintessential Danish dish. Simply ask Oprah Winfrey. She returned to Chicago with several loaves after visiting Copenhagen last autumn. It tastes like eating a chunk of the dirt, according to her. Oprah, I agree with you, but more about rugbrd later. My objective is to offer you a taste of the Danish diet, what a normal BLD looks like, and to share some culinary insights from this Nordic nation.
It is crucial to highlight that, although the items I describe are common in the normal Danish diet, they do not reflect the diet of all Danes. For example, younger and

I’d also want to point out that I won’t be discussing any Danish holiday cuisine. Danes have a great history of eating seasonal dishes, and I could write a whole post on Danish holiday cuisine.

What’s for Breakfast? “Morgenmad”

Cold cereals such as cornflakes, muesli, Rice Krispies, Coco Puffs, and Frosted Flakes are examples. In comparison to the vast array of morning cereals available in American stores, Danes have a comparatively restricted range from which to pick. This is due in great part to the fact that most Danes consume bread for breakfast. Typically, white bread slices or rolls with a variety of toppings such as cold meats, raw vegetable slices, white cheese, butter, and jam. Bread topped with a piece of mild, white cheese and a spoonful of strawberry (or other kind of) jam is a favorite among Danes. Another common topping is chocolate. Danes are known to consume dry, uncooked oats with milk or yogurt in addition to cooked oatmeal.

There’s also kammerjunkere, a Danish specialty that reminds me of a thick vanilla wafer. People here mix them into a bowl of yogurt or ymer, a thick buttermilk, and eat it for breakfast.

Danes do not have breakfast out unless they are visiting friends or family. I’ve lived in two separate towns in this nation, and neither had a single breakfast business. According to my knowledge, eating brunch out on weekends is becoming more popular in bigger cities, but the trend has yet to reach our town. Going out for breakfast is one of the things I miss most about living in the United States. However, it is just not a part of the culture here.

In case you’re wondering, the sweet breakfast pastry known as Danish in the United States is known as wienerbrod (or Viennese bread) in Austria. It comes in a variety of flavors and is often saved for special occasions, weekends, and business breakfasts.

Finally, when it comes to drinks, coffee is ubiquitous in Danish homes and workplaces. Furthermore, according to the Danish Tourism Bureau, Danes consume up to 20 million cups of coffee every day. Juices, tea, and milk (including chocolate) are also widely available.

What’s for Lunch? “Frokost”

That depends on whether you carry your lunch (madpakke) or eat at a work cafeteria, which are the two most prevalent ways to have lunch. Depending on how complex or huge it is, the cafeteria serves hot meals as well as a salad bar and other options. What amazes me about the packed lunches is that practically everyone brings nearly similar foods. This is due to the Danish tradition of smrresbrd (a close cousin of the Swedish smorgsbord), which translates as butter and bread.

Smrresbrd, in general, is buttered rye bread served open faced with a variety of plg, or toppings. Cold cuts, liver pat, fish spreads, laks (smoked salmon), frikadeller (danish meatballs), cheese, and other items are examples.

I’ve noticed that the Danes incorporate a lot of vegetables in their meals as well. Raw, entire carrots, cucumber slices, and tomatoes are all common toppings for smrresbrd.

Dessert isn’t often included with a packed lunch, although it may be a piece of buttered rugbrd with a thin slice of chocolate, known as plgschokolade (shown above under What’s for Breakfast), or a slice of leftover cake. The majority of the time, Danes will consume a slice or two of entire fruit. Apples and pears, as well as seasonal fruits like berries and plums, are popular.

The plsevogn, or sausage wagon, is the closest thing to fast food. It’s a hot dog stand, and Danes are crazy with hot dogs.

I’ve never seen so many different sizes, kinds, and colors (even red!) in my life. It’s also one of the most popular snack meals, especially the fransk variety, which consists of a hot dog placed within a long, hollowed-out slice of white bread available at most cafes, petrol stations, and supermarkets.

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What’s for Dinner? “Aftensmad”

In contrast to the United States, where supper might range from 5:00 p.m. to 8 or even 9:00 p.m., the majority of Danes dine at 6:00 p.m. every night. supper in a restaurant or at someone’s home may be different, but I’ve seen that 6:00 p.m. is the official family supper hour throughout the week.

In general, a typical supper might include a pig roast, boiled potatoes, gravy (Danes call it brown sauce), and steaming green beans. Of fact, there are hundreds of more dishes that make up a Danish meal, but this is a good representation of what a Danish family might eat.

Fish, seafood, and beef are all important components of any traditional Danish cuisine. Popular fish include cod, eel, herring, salmon, and shrimp, as well as various kinds of fish used to produce fried fish for smrresbrd and fish frikadeller (fish meatballs).

When it comes to meat, Danes eat a lot of pig, and even more pork than beef. I’ve heard that they consume more pork than any other nation on the planet. Pork roast, pork tenderloin, ham, pork cutlets, and ground pork, which is used to create pig frikadeller, are also popular options. Chicken and turkey are becoming more popular.

I cannot overstate the importance of the potato in Danish cuisine (and, indeed, in Danish culture). Potatoes are regarded as an important side dish for practically every hot dinner. My Danish friend’s father is so hooked to potatoes that he eats them at every meal and was frightened to attend his daughter’s wedding in South Africa because he wouldn’t be able to eat them. There are several potato dishes in Denmark. There are several ways to prepare baked, boiled, fried, mashed, au gratin, and so on.

Cabbage, carrots, creamed kale, spinach or white cabbage, cauliflower, pickled beets, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and peas are typical supper veggies.

I haven’t tried it yet since I can’t get over how highly processed it looks, but Tarteletter med hns i asparges is a popular meal that consists of a thick white gravy with canned white asparagus (and sometimes chicken) served in a fluted-edged puff pastry shell. The Danes adore it, and there must be a reason for its success, but I’m just not there yet.

What’s for Dessert? “Desserter and Slik” (candy)

Ice cream may be the most popular dessert. Supermarkets, fast marts, cafs, and plsevogns sell a wide variety of ice cream novelties and cakes. Other treats include rice pudding, sugar-filled crepes, fruit salad, and assorted cakes.

When I initially got here, I couldn’t believe how popular gummy candy, black liquorice (often salty), and marzipan were. Chocolate is also celebrated, which was to be anticipated. Gummy candy is abundant in the marketplaces, and there is even a unique ceremony around it. On Friday evenings, most Danish children are permitted to eat a bag or a part of a bag of gummy bears while watching special weekly cartoons on television. Marzipan treats abound over the Christmas season. The most frequent is a piece of chocolate encased in marzipan (for example, an egg for Easter and a snowball for Christmas).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight the prevalence of soft serve ice cream in Denmark. My family (my husband is French, and our kid is French-American) started our own Friday night custom last summer. We’d get on our bikes (with our kid in the bike trailer) after work and ride to the local ice cream store adjacent to the port with a view of the fjord. My kid and I would get soft serve while my husband opted for a beer instead of ice cream. Yes, most ice cream stores also offer beer! They also provide hard ice cream, however the soft serve is out of this world. It is exquisitely delicate, silky, and creamy. Furthermore, it is just the proper amount of sweet. In the United States, I sometimes find ice cream to be cloying, but the Danes get it perfect. It comes in a cone (usually a waffle cone) or a cup and is topped with your choice of sprinkles, a fldeboller (similar to a Mallomar cookie), guf (similar to marshmallow cream but usually strawberry flavored), and whipped cream.

Additional Observations
Junk food consumption is on the increase in our country. The selection is less than in the United States, but there are still a variety of chips, crackers, cookies, french fries, drink, and so on. My sense is that most Danes like these delicacies on occasion but eat healthily the majority of the time. They consume them more moderately than their American counterparts. Having said that, I observe a lot of youngsters carrying Coca-Cola bottles, snacks, and sweets. I assume adolescent tendencies are universal.

A large number of organic food and community supported agriculture (CSA) cooperatives are available to balance out the availability of harmful foods. Our family buys organic wherever possible (the great majority of products are fairly priced) and participates in a CSA that provides us with a box of fresh, organic (kologisk in Danish) food once a week for just under $40. My hubby also like the extensive assortment of Danish kologisk beer.

Beer is immensely popular, and there are several brewing enterprises. Hard cider is popular, particularly among the younger generation. Wine is quite common, extensively accessible, and comes in a variety of pricing levels. Akvavit is Denmark’s hard liquor, a drink produced from distilled potatoes and herbs, but it’s a little too powerful for me. Other varieties of hard alcohol, on the other hand, are either uncommon or unreasonably costly. I simply imagined I’d make margaritas for a recent Mexican-themed lunch. That is, until I tried to price the only tequila brand I could locate, which was close to $80 a bottle. Gulp. I was devastated, but our family budget did not allow for a $80 bottle of whiskey.

On the bright side, red wine is inexpensive, so there’s always sangria. Skol, or cheers, as the Danes say.