Danish cuisine

Somewhere far away, in the north of Europe, surrounded by the Baltic and North Seas, lies an amazing country – Denmark. At first glance, its cuisine is practically no different from other cuisines of the Scandinavian countries. But even upon closer examination, striking differences are visible. Only this country from year to year is called the country of 700 types of sandwiches by tourists. Only here they have become a highlight of the national cuisine. And only here they managed to sell them in specialized stores around the world!

History

In order to get acquainted with the history of Denmark today, it is enough just to visit this country and taste a couple of national dishes in one of the local restaurants. After all, the restaurant business itself originated here in the XIII century. Much time has passed since then, but its echoes in the form of traditional taverns still rival modern cafes today. Thanks to such an abundance of interesting places, here you can always find where to eat, quench your thirst or just relax with your favorite newspaper in your hands. And Danish cuisine is still based on ancient recipes, according to which local hostesses prepared their delicacies many centuries ago. True, this was not always the case.

Of course, the originally fertile land and harsh climate made the Danes love the simplicity and nourishment of the prepared dishes, for which they used products grown or produced in their homeland. Nevertheless, the gourmet cuisine of the more southern neighbors now and then attracted the Danes, which is why, at some point, delicacies made from new products began to replace the usual delicacies. It is difficult to imagine what would have happened in a few centuries if chefs of a new generation had not intervened. They not only brought back ingredients grown in local latitudes into the national cuisine, but also rediscovered the taste of forgotten village vegetables. This was done both for the sake of preserving culinary traditions, and for the sake of creating one of the most delicious and healthy cuisines with high-quality fresh local products, which later became Danish.

Features

Today, the national Danish cuisine can be recognized by the characteristic features that can be guessed in the recipe for each of the dishes present on the tables of local residents. It:

  • The predominance of hearty delicacies with a lot of meat and fish. And all because food for the locals is a kind of shield, which since ancient times helped them withstand the cold. And since then, practically nothing has changed. As always, protein is a vital substance that helps people to excel at school, work, exercise, set new goals in life and achieve them, which is why it is held in high esteem.
  • The presence of a huge number of sandwich recipes. According to various estimates, there are from 200 to 700 species here, and each of them deserves due attention.
  • Love for pork, which is used to make a lot of delicious dishes such as stews, sausages and sausages, and served with side dishes or sauces. Due to this feature, Danish cuisine is often compared to German cuisine.
  • Love for fish and seafood, which are the basis for preparing first and second courses.
  • Frequent consumption of vegetables. In the process of preparing side dishes, potatoes, boiled or baked, red cabbage, and onions are used. Carrots, beets, celery, beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, peppers are added to salads. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs and white radish are eaten.
  • Love for dairy products. It is difficult to imagine a traditional Danish table without different types of cheese, kefir, milk soup, homemade mayonnaise and cottage cheese, which are made from cow and sheep milk.

Basic cooking methods:

Finally, the most interesting thing about Danish cuisine is its national dishes. But not only because most of them are still prepared according to old recipes. The fact is that most often they imply a combination of, at first glance, incompatible products, thereby allowing to create real masterpieces to please gourmets all over the world. These included:

Sandwiches. It is difficult to keep silent about them when in Denmark they are used as appetizers and main dishes. Distinguish between single-layer and multi-layer sandwiches. The latter combine unexpected ingredients: chicken, salmon, radish and pineapple. And this is within one smurrebred, or sandwich, as it is called here. By the way, the simplest smörrebred are slices of bread and butter, and the most complex ones are a set of layers of bacon, jelly, tomatoes, white radishes, liver pâté and slices of bread, which are eaten in layers and proudly called “Hans Christin Andersen’s Favorite Sandwich.” In many cities of the country there are the very specialized outlets for the sale of smörrebred. The most famous – “Oscar Davidsen”, is located in Copenhagen. This is a restaurant that accepts orders for their preparation even from abroad. Another local celebrity is the Copenhagen sandwich shop, which during its existence was entered in the Guinness Book of Records. It offered 178 options for sandwiches, described on the menu, 1 m 40 cm long. According to the locals, one guest here once almost suffocated when, in the process of studying him, a hunger spasm literally squeezed his throat.

Smoked herring is a national Danish dish that has existed here since the late 1800s.

Pork stew with red cabbage.

Pork with apples and prunes.

Danish bacon is a dish that is lard with vegetables.

Blackberry and strawberry soup with cream, which in its appearance resembles either liquid jam or compote.

Herring salad with green beans.

Danish pasta salad, which includes boiled carrots, cauliflower, celery root, ham and, of course, the pasta itself. It is traditionally served on a slice of bread in the form of a sandwich, however, like other salads. Interestingly, unlike other countries, special rye bread is held in high esteem in Denmark. It is acidic and enriched with a lot of nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber. The process of its preparation stretches for a day.

Pork sausages and sausages with sauces.

Salted chicken with pineapple and baked potatoes as a side dish.

Copenhagen, or Viennese buns are the pride of this country. They have been preparing here since the XNUMXth century.

Spiced milk is a must for many families in the morning.

The traditional alcoholic drink is aquavit, the strength of which is 32 – 45 degrees. It was first prepared by alchemists about 200 years ago, when they invented a recipe for eternal youth. Along with it, schnapps, beer, and spicy wine Bisschopswijn, which resembles mulled wine, are loved here.

Health benefits of Danish cuisine

Despite the fact that Danish cuisine is very nutritious and high in calories, it is still one of the healthiest. Simply because the locals are very responsible in the selection of products for their dishes and prepare them according to recipes that have a history dating back centuries. Every year gourmets from all over the world come to taste them. Some of them remain in this country forever. Not the least role in this is played by the average life expectancy of the Danes, which today is almost 80 years.

See also the cuisine of other countries:

Leave a Reply