Denmark Information
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 17
Home Country: denmark
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 Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:31 am Post subject: FOOD & DINING IN DENMARK/ DENMARK DINING GUIDE |
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FOOD & DINING IN DENMARK
GENERAL
Danish food is the best in Scandinavia -- in fact, it's among the best in Europe.
Breakfast is usually big and hearty, just right for a day of sightseeing. It usually consists of homemade breads, Danish cheeses, and often a boiled egg or salami. In most establishments you can order bacon and eggs, two items that are well stocked here. However, you may prefer a simple continental breakfast of Danish wienerbrød (pastry) and coffee. The "danish" is moist, airy, and rich.
The favourite dish at midday is the ubiquitous smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) -- a national institution. Literally, this means "bread and butter," but the Danes stack this sandwich as if it were the Leaning Tower of Pisa -- and then throw in a slice of curled cucumber and bits of parsley or perhaps sliced peaches or a mushroom for added colour.
Two of these sandwiches can make a more-than-filling lunch. They're everywhere -- from the grandest dining rooms to the lowliest pushcart. Many restaurants offer a wide selection; guests look over a checklist and then mark the ones they want. Some are made with sliced pork (perhaps a prune on top), roast beef with béarnaise sauce and crispy fried bits of onion, or liver paste adorned with an olive or cucumber slice and gelatin made with strong beef stock.
Smørrebrød is often served as an hors d'oeuvre. The most popular, most tempting, and usually most expensive of these delicacies is prepared with tiny Danish shrimp, on which a lemon slice and caviar often perch, perhaps even with fresh dill. The "ugly duckling" of the smørrebrød family is anything with a cold sunny-side-up egg on top of it.
For dinner, the Danes tend to keep farmers' hours: 6:30pm is common, although restaurants remain open much later. Many main-course dishes are familiar to North Americans, but they're prepared with a distinct flourish in Denmark -- for example, lever med løg (liver and fried onion), bøf (beef, in a thousand different ways), lammesteg (roast lamb), or that old reliable staple, flæskesteg med rødkål (roast pork with red cabbage).
Danish chefs are really noted for their fresh fish dishes. The tiny Danish shrimp, rejer, are splendid; herring and kippers are also greeted with much enthusiasm. Top-notch fish dishes include rodspætte (plaice), laks (salmon), makrel (mackerel), and kogt torsk (boiled cod).
Danish cheese may be consumed at any meal and then eaten again on a late-night smørrebrød at Tivoli. Danish bleu is already familiar to most people. For something softer and milder, try Havarti.
Danish specialties that are worth sampling include frikadeller, the Danish meatballs or rissoles (prepared in various ways); a Danish omelet with a rasher of bacon covered with chopped chives and served in a skillet; and Danish hamburger patties topped with fried onions and coated with a rich brown gravy.
Two great desserts are Danish apple Charlotte, best when decorated with whipped cream, dried breadcrumbs, and chopped almonds; and rødgrød med fløde -- basically a jellied fruit-studded juice, served with thick cream.
As for drinks, Carlsberg and Tuborg beer are Denmark's national beverages. A bottle of Pilsener costs about half the price of a stronger export beer with the fancy label. Value-conscious Danes rely on the low-priced fadøl (draft beer); visitors on a modest budget might want to do the same.
You may gravitate more toward aquavit (schnapps, to the British), which comes from the city of Aalborg in northern Jutland. The Danes, who usually drink it at mealtime, follow it with a beer chaser. Made from a distilling process using potatoes, aquavit should only be served icy cold.
For those with a daintier taste, the world-famous Danish liqueur, Cherry Herring, is a delightful drink; made from cherries, as the name implies, it can be consumed anytime except with meals.
INTERESTING PLACES TO DINE
Era Ora (Copenhagen; tel. 32-54-06-93): This is the best Italian restaurant in Denmark. This 20-year-old restaurant is the domain of two Tuscan-born partners who have delighted some of the most discerning palates in Copenhagen. Denmark's superb array of fresh seafood, among other produce, is given a decidedly Mediterranean twist at this citadel of refined cuisine.
Godt (Copenhagen; tel. 33-15-21-22): Even the Queen of Denmark dines at this superb restaurant, celebrated for its international cuisine. The best and freshest produce and various ingredients at the market are fashioned into the most pleasing and quintessential dishes.
The Paul (Copenhagen; tel. 33-75-07-75): Winning a coveted Michelin star, this is the best restaurant among the deluxe dining rooms of the Tivoli Gardens. Drawing gourmet diners with its carefully crafted international menu, it offers an inspired cuisine in these pleasure gardens. There is a daring and innovation here found in no other Tivoli restaurant.
Marie Louise (Odense; tel. 66-17-92-95): Glittering with crystal and silver, this dining room on a pedestrian street is one of the finest on the island of Funen. In an antique house, this Danish/Franco alliance offers a cuisine that's the epitome of taste, preparation, and service. Seafood and fish are the favoured dishes.
Falsled Kro (Falsled; tel. 62-68-11-11): Even if you don't stay at the hotel, consider stopping for a meal. A favourite among well-heeled Europeans, this restaurant produces a stellar French-inspired cuisine and uses seasonal produce from its own gardens. The succulent salmon is smoked in one of the outbuildings, and the owners breed quail locally. Such care and attention to detail make this one of Denmark's top restaurants. |
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