Danish cuisine is a synthesis of European cuisines. Most of all they like open sandwiches (scumbag) and beer, which you can drink even at lunchtime. There are more than two hundred recipes for such sandwiches. They differ not only in composition, but also have their own names. Often they are multi-layered, and the combination of products in them may be completely unexpected. So, a sandwich can combine radish, pineapple and salmon, and maybe from any salad. Salads such as pasta, fish, herring and beans are popular there. Even if a Danish is served a huge sandwich on a visit, he will take it for granted and eat it with a knife and fork in layers - first a chicken layer, then a fish one. The most traditional is a rye bread sandwich with butter and herring.
The habits and tastes of the Danes
It is impossible to imagine Danish cuisine without seafood and fish. Especially the inhabitants of this country prefer eel, salmon, flounder and herring. They cook it in different ways: they cook it, and bake it, and fry it, and smoke it.
The Danes are also very fond of dairy products. They prepare milk soups, cereals, cottage cheese with various fillings and spices, cream with caraway seeds. Even plain milk is a very popular drink.
One of the features of Danish cuisine is that it has an incredible variety of soup recipes. The most popular are pea and pork and salmon and cream soup (Tivoli).
Although Denmark is not a southern country, its inhabitants are very fond of seasoning Danish cuisine with various spices, which makes them very similar to Asian ones. Sweet and sour taste can also be combined with a pungency that is taken from chili, mustard, horseradish and ginger.
Meat dishes also did not pass this country with a very cool climate. A very popular dish is pork with cabbage, liver pate or just fried pork liver with onions. Garnish - usually fried potatoes or stewed cabbage. Cabbage is made from white cabbage, stewed in cream, and usually pickled beets are eaten. But almost no meal is complete without potatoes. Eat it in almost any form.
The main dessert of Danish national cuisine is considered a very thick berry (usually from blackcurrant) jelly, decorated with whipped cream. Buns are served to him, which the Danes call Viennese, and the rest of the world is Danish.Over the past decade, Danish cuisine has been increasingly associated with the so-called “new Scandinavian cuisine” - a movement that originated in 2003 when the Noma restaurant was opened in Copenhagen, and characterized by a combination of modernity and national color. Of course, this is not bad, but it does not give a completely correct presentation to an occasional viewer who is interested in what real Danish food actually is. Although the restaurants of Copenhagen, Danish cuisine is not bypassed.
To find real Danish food, save some money and drop by the old Danish diner instead, where the sandwiches are expertly stacked, the meat and potatoes are at the head of the table, and the portions are usually large and hearty.
Here are ten very Danish dishes that will inspire you to come to Copenhagen again and again.
Sandwiches (Smørrebrød)
Under the name "mortrebred" there is a huge number of different types of open sandwiches: a thin slice of rye bread, buttered with butter and staffed with meat, vegetables or salads. Most likely, the concept dates back to the laborers' lunches since 1840. Today you will find killer-breeders in the menu of eateries, cafes and restaurants across the country and marvel at how different they can be. There are absolutely simple, with boiled potatoes, mayonnaise and green onions; lungs with fried fish and lettuce; savory, with smoked eel and fried eggs. Usually they are served in an assortment of three to six pieces, but you can buy one. Remoulade sauce is added to all sandwiches. It was created on the basis of mayonnaise, and it is served with almost any dish, at least with fish fillet, at least with a hot dog in a cheap street kiosk. Capers, pickles and carrots are added to it.
Danish Buns (Wienerbrød)
The most wonderful way to start the day in Denmark is to have a Viennese bun. Puff crispy texture, buttery taste, creamy fillings, sweet glaze will not leave anyone indifferent. They are called Viennese, although they come from Austria, but the Danes made them their national dish. There are many different types of Viennese buns, but the classic one is a snail, a puff bun with cinnamon and butter, or a denser coffee bun with butter and brown sugar.
Tartlets
Puff pastry baskets with savory fillings are hard to dislike, and tartlets are no exception in Denmark. The most popular are tartlets stuffed with chicken and asparagus, with a simple white sauce of butter, flour and milk.
Oatmeal sir
Nutritious and cheap porridge has long been a traditional hot breakfast in Denmark, as in many countries of the world. Here it usually includes cereals such as rye, oats and barley; for example, there are cereals cooked with leftover rye bread and beer, and there is a traditional Christmas porridge with rice. In Copenhagen, interest in porridge became more focused when the porridge bar was opened in 2011, introducing this dish to high culinary art. This is a great place for breakfast, where you can enjoy oatmeal with fresh apples and fried almonds or wheat with honey and fruits.
Meatballs (Frikadeller)
Neighboring Sweden may be better known for its meatballs, but Denmark also has a better taste.
This dish, which has been pleasing the Danes for many centuries, is usually made from pork and served with brown sauce, boiled potatoes, red cabbage and cucumbers, depending on what time of the day you eat. Any restaurant in Copenhagen that adheres to the old school and traditions will definitely offer them on the menu.
Pork cutlets (Krebinetter)
These oval-shaped pork patties, breaded and fried in a pan until crisp, are usually served with potatoes and many other boiled vegetables. Now they are inferior in popularity to meatballs, and it is very difficult to find them in a cafe.
Baked Pork (Flæskesteg)
A very traditional dish of thinly sliced slices of tender baked pork, with crispy greaves, and a garnish of red cabbage, served in almost any classic restaurant in Denmark. Fortunately, it is incredibly tasty, served with rye bread and cucumbers for lunch and for dinner with potatoes and sauce.
Fried pork (stegt flæsk)
This dish has become the most popular - fried pork with honey and potatoes or with cream sauce, parsley and boiled potatoes. Pork is cut into thick slices and fried until crisp. Tasty, satisfying, absolutely perfect on cold Scandinavian nights.
Herring
Like a thousand years ago, herring is especially popular with the Danes. They eat it marinated in curry or mustard, fried in breading, smoked and salted. Most Danish restaurants serve it as an appetizer for local vodka, but it is also suitable as an appetizer in front of the main course. Often it is combined with red onion, capers, an egg (or boiled, or just raw yolk, which must be poured on top) and, of course, with butter and rye bread.
Danish Hot Dog (Pølse)
Over the past century, a large hot dog has gained particular popularity as street food in Copenhagen. Danes love long, thin pork sausages, cooked or grilled, with mustard, ketchup, remoulade sauce, pickles, cheese and crispy onions, folded in a sliced baguette. What is the classic drink for them? Cocoa!
Sweets and drinks in Danish cuisine
In the cuisine of Denmark, various northern berries are traditionally used for desserts: lingonberries, raspberries, blackberries, cloudberries and others. Jam, sauces, jelly, and fruit drinks are prepared from them. Danes like to add berries to cereals and pastries. Traditional desserts are a thick berry jelly with cream and apple-currant pie. Baking is also varied: muffins with cheese, pancakes, pies, rolls. From alcohol, the Danes prefer herbal schnapps, Danish beer and a variety of liquors. Mulled wine is brewed on holidays, and in the mornings they prefer milk to other drinks, in which different seasonings can be added.
In addition to Viennese buns, Danes and tourists are also fond of chocolate buns covered with fondant, and apple balls - round pancakes with filling and powdered sugar.
Children and adults love Oellebroed porridge. Prepare it from stale rye bread. It is poured with water or weak beer and left overnight. In the morning it is brought to a boil, sugar is added and garnished with whipped cream.
Where can I try in the capital?
Today, only a few restaurants specializing in Scandinavian recipes offer Danish cuisine in Moscow. So, one of the most popular is the northern restaurant Björn. There you can taste almost all the popular Danish dishes. Scandinavia restaurant is also not far behind in popularity , in which Danish sandwiches with herring and venison can be tasted for a long time. And you can stop by for coffee at the Kaffebröd coffee house, which offers a variety of sandwiches and sweet buns.