Food & Drink - Denmark - page 633

The Danes are great fish smokers, and the wonderfully woody flavour of smoked sea-
food is one of Scandinavia's most distinctive culinary highs. You'll find smokehouses
( røgeri ) all around Denmark's coast, preserving herring, eel, shrimp and other fresh sea-
food. The most renowned are on Bornholm.
Across on the northern tip of Jutland, salubrious Skagen is a top spot to feast on fresh
shrimp (rejer) and lobster (hummer) .
Smørrebrød
Although the earliest recorded mention of smørrebrød is in the 13th-century Hakonar
Saga, the elaborate Danish open sandwich known today stems back to the late 19th cen-
tury. As the number of posh-nosh restaurants grew in Copenhagen, the city's modest beer
and wine cellars began sprucing up their bread and butter standard with fancy new top-
pings, in turn creating Denmark's most celebrated culinary export.
The basic smørrebrød is a slice of rye bread topped with any number of ingredients,
from roast beef or pork, to juicy shrimps, pickled herring, liver pâté, or fried fish fillet. The
garnishes are equally variable, with the sculptured final product often looking too good to
eat. In the laws of Danish smørrebrød, smoked salmon is served on white bread, and her-
ring on rye bread. Whatever the combination, the iconic dish is best paired with akvavit
(alcoholic spirit) and an invigorating beer.
Smørrebrød is a lunchtime staple in countless restaurants and cafes, the most famous of
which is Copenhagen's Schønnemann , a celebrated 19th-century veteran whose offerings
span the classical to modern, with twists like cold-smoked venison leg paired with porcini
remoulade and beetroot chips.
Generally speaking, smørrebrød is cheapest in bakeries or specialised smørrebrød
takeaway shops found near train stations and office buildings. Try to pronounce smør-
rebrød as 'smuhr-bruth', but don't feel bad if your pronunciation doesn't match a native
Dane's (it never will).
The Sweet Stuff
Denmark is Valhalla for lovers of all things flaky, sticky and sweet, and its bakeries are a
constant source of temptation.
Ironically, what is commonly known as a 'Danish pastry' abroad is known to the Danes
as a wienerbrød ('Viennese bread'), and nearly every second street corner has a bageri