Danish Food a Cultural Delight
Denmark received a boost when it was a recently named as the Organic Country
of the Year at a food fair in Germany; bringing extra focus on Danish food and the organic variety in particular. All the signs are that organic food in Denmark will continue to flourish.
With its northern European location and the moist climate that accompanies it, Danish food, much like that of its Scandinavian neighbors, consists largely of products suited to its cooler environment. Potatoes, rye, beetroot and mushrooms are all locally grown, and dairy produce is one of its specialties, forming part of the traditional diet.
Due to the make up of Denmark as a country, with its many small islands; Danish food was established into family customs a long time ago owing to difficulties that existed over transportation. These have obviously improved significantly over the years, but eating habits tend to be passed down and live on in the Danish culture.
A traditional Danish breakfast might consist of buttered bread, slices of cheese, jam and mug after mug of coffee. Also very popular amongst the elder generation as well as the very young Danes is oatmeal porridge and bread and beer soup, known as øllebrød – they start young in that part of the world!
It is common practice to invite people to a morgenbord – meaning morning table – for special occasions such as wedding anniversaries and birthdays and will feature something called Wienerbrød – soft dough with thick brown sugar topping, and some lighter breads than would be consumed at normal breakfasts.
Lunch is normally a cold meal consisting of rye bread, buttered and covered in various kinds of sausage, or a baked mixture of pig’s liver. The alternative would be a cold buffet with meats, cheeses, puddings and fruits; all accompanied with rye bread which features heavily throughout all Danish food courses.
The evening meal is very much a family gathering as food and eating is enormously important to to the Danes, and parents often cook together and teach their children as soon as possible. However, prosperity changes since the late 1960’s, has seen the American influence come into is own with baked potatoes, turkey and ready to serve chicken dishes contrasting with the traditional Danish food offerings. Denmark has also become more health-conscious, drawing inspiration from the influx of immigrants from all over the world.
Nordic cuisine has often been regarded as somewhat tasteless, but fresh developments have been very encouraging and it has emerged as a genuine alternative to the more established Mediterranean option. Also Denmark received a boost when it was a recently named as the Organic Country of the Year at a food fair in Germany; bringing extra focus on Danish food and the organic variety in particular. All the signs are that organic food in Denmark will continue to flourish.
