#52 Denmark

One Friday night after work 10 years ago in a Cambridge pub, a group of friendly colleagues, who you could say were three sheets to the wind, agreed to each pay Emily £60, and she would book flights for us for a mystery weekend away. We were given the weather forecast the night before, so we knew what to wear, and we met at the station to take the train to Stanstead Airport for an early morning flight. It wasn’t until the boarding gate that we discovered our destination…and one member of the group managed to remain clueless until we landed in Copenhagen!

Of the food I remember very little: open sandwiches perhaps, and I would certainly not recommend eating too many brownies in the “free town” of Christiana…

Smørrebrød

Smørrebrød is the name for Denmark's famous open sandwiches, translating as something like “butter bread”, and consisting of a buttered piece of dark rye bread, topped with pickled herring, smoked salmon, cheese, salami, or other meats.

An important note on butter

I have been acquainted with my favourite Danish word since reading a chapter in Cook, Eat, Repeat dedicated solely to anchovies. Here Nigella Lawson explains the word: tandsmør, literally translating as ‘tooth butter’, and referring to the phenomenon of having butter spread so thickly that you leave tooth marks when you bite into it. Well, smørrebrød should be spread with tandsmør.

I gave this very careful consideration and, despite the name, concluded that it’s probably acceptable to smother the bread for the smørrebrød in something other than butter provided your substitute is also delicious, high fat and spread liberally. See my smørrebrød below for examples.

This is where taking liberties with tradition ends because there is etiquette one must adhere to when eating a simple sandwich in company in Denmark:

· Proteins, vegetables and herbs must be paired correctly: for example, dill is for herring, not for pâté.

· Smørrebrød must be eaten in the correct order: herring is always first, followed by other fish, meats and then sweeter toppings.

· If you’re pairing your smørrebrød with schnapps (and why wouldn’t you?!), you must always raise your glass and toast “skol!” before drinking.

· Perhaps most important of all, smørrebrød should always be eaten with a knife and fork; we are not savages.

My smørrebrød from left to right, and also in the order in which they were eaten:

1. Pickled herring with salad cream*

2. Smoked salmon and cucumber with mustard mayo

3. Roast beef on buttered bread with gherkins and mustard mayo

4. Danish blue cheese with bacon and apple on homemade bacon spread**.

*Where I used Heinz salad cream, because a) I’m British, and b) it’s amazing, a Dane might have made a remoulade, which is another mayonnaise-like sauce, flavoured with capers, pickles, dill and some spices.

**Lads, this is an absolute game changer! Render the fat out of a pack of smoked lardons, cook slices of onion and apple in the bacon fat and blend. Unbelievable!

Danish pastries

A Danish pastry is known in Danish as wienerbrød or ‘Vienna bread’ and is the name given to a range of laminated sweet pastries, made in the viennoiserie tradition; think croissants. This style of baking arrived in Denmark in the mid-19th century when Austrian bakers were brought into the country as the local bakers were striking, and thus, the Danish pastry as we know and love it today was born.

Cardiff being the cosmopolitan metropolis that is it, means we are lucky enough to have our own Danish bakery, Brød, in Pontcanna.

Naturally I bought a kanelsnegle because cinnamon snails are one of my favourite things in life. I also purchased a spandauer, which is a very popular wienerbrød, usually with a custard centre. This particular spandauer was rhubarb, ginger & custard. I’m not ashamed to say that I ate them both at once. I also enjoyed them with fresh strawbs from the “STRAWBERRIES A POUND” man on Queen Street (Cardiff friends will all know who I’m talking about).

There were so many delicious-looking breads and pastries, things could really have gotten out of hand in there; I’m commending myself for leaving with only two!

Tooth butter and pastries - Denmark you have been beautiful! I’m hoping for something to clear my arteries in…IRAN!

P.S. As another one of my favourite things in life are anchovies, and, also now tandsmør, I couldn’t not make what Nigella calls the “perfect canapé”:

“Take a slice of good bread, spread it thickly with sweet, unsalted butter, and drape some excellent Spanish anchovies on top.”

She wasn’t wrong!