Learn all about the top five dishes you just have to try while traveling in Denmark
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Hey everyone, and welcome back to DanishClass101.com! I’m Becky, and this is All About, lesson 7: Top 5 Danish Dishes. |
| Anna: Hi everyone, I’m Anna! |
Lesson focus |
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| Becky: Now, Denmark has quite a unique food culture, especially since the new Nordic food wave has brought about new flavor combinations and cooking techniques. Danish cuisine isn’t exactly known for being healthy, but many less fatty alternatives have made their way to Danish restaurants and the dining table at home. |
| Anna: That’s right. In this lesson, we’ll start by telling you some major features of Danish cuisine and food culture. |
| Becky: Danish cuisine has indeed undergone some changes during the last couple of centuries, but many classic dishes are still made among a number of faster and more flavorful foreign dishes in most Danish homes. |
| Anna: In general, the more traditional dishes all share some common features. |
| Becky: Right. Firstly, as it can take quite some time to cook Danish food, it is considered a slow food. That’s why delegating tasks like potato-peeling, gravy-making, vegetable-chopping, salad-chopping, and meat-marinating, can save a lot of time. |
| Anna: Yeah, and it’s a good, fun way of socializing too! |
| Becky: Also, traditional Danish cuisine is characterized as heavy, high on calories, and full of carbohydrates. So don’t expect to lose any weight while you are in Denmark, if you are trying out the traditional dishes. There is one classic, though, that isn’t too heavy. |
| Anna: Yes, Danish open-faced sandwiches or “smørrebrød” can be part of a healthy, low-fat diet, providing you don’t build your sandwich too high and stay away from the tempting fatty toppings that exist in Denmark! |
| Becky: Fatty toppings like what? |
| Anna: Well… for instance “rullepølse” or “rolled sausage” in English, liver-pate, roasted pork, deep-fried fish, thick layers of butter or mayonnaise, and other sauces are a big part of “smørrebrød” as well. |
| Becky: That sounds fattening. Maybe I should stay away from open-faced sandwiches. |
| Anna: Ohh you don’t need to be scared of them, since we have even more healthy toppings than fatty. Like salad, tomato, eggs, marinated herring and lean meat cuts, like ham and roast beef. So just remember to go for them instead. |
| Becky: That’s a good tip. But Anna, I have a question. Because Danish people tend to eat at home with their family, is there any special table etiquette? |
| Anna: Yes! While the basic rules apply, such as not talking with your mouth full, sitting up straight, not putting your feet on the table, not picking your nose and so on, there are some other things to keep in mind too. |
| Becky: Oh, what are they? |
| Anna: Well, first, sitting down before everyone else is ready is not recommended. |
| Becky: Before everyone else is ready to sit down at the table? |
| Anna: Yes. Normally, if you are a guest in someone’s home, you want to show some respect, especially during the first couple of times you visit. So if you sit down before everyone else, you may seem too comfortable without really respecting others and their home. Of course, your host will let you know if it’s okay to sit down, before everyone else is at the table. |
| Becky: I see. It’s interesting that you can come off as too comfortable, even though your host probably wants you to make yourself at home. What’s another one? |
| Anna: Don’t burp out loud. Many people find it disgusting. |
| Becky: I see, but what should I do, if I can’t suppress it? Are people going to think I’m gross? |
| Anna: For sure they will, but if you apologize for doing it accidentally, I’m sure you’ll be forgiven. And if you are among people who don’t mind, feel free to go right ahead. |
| Becky: Really? Hmm, well I guess I’ll have to keep that in mind then! So Anna, let’s tell our listeners about some popular foods in Denmark. |
| Anna: Sure. Here are “The Top 5 Danish Dishes”. Number 5 is... Hakkebøf |
| Becky: Kind of like “Salisbury steak”, but the minced beef does not necessarily have to resemble the shape of an actual steak; round is just fine. It can also be served with mashed or fried potatoes as well as other vegetables and pickles. |
| Anna: Number 4 is Frikadeller. |
| Becky: Danish “meat balls.” There are two types of meat balls in Denmark: one is frikadeller and the other is kødboller. Frikadeller are usually made of ground pork, veal, chopped onions, eggs, flour, milk, and salt and pepper, formed into oval balls and flattened somewhat, and then pan-fried. You can also use fish instead of meat as the main ingredient and add the fitting herbs. Frikadeller are usually served with brown sauce, boiled potatoes, and pickled beetroot or red cabbage, but they can also be served with creamed, white cabbage, which is a dish in itself called stuvet hvidkål. Cold potato salad is also very popular with frikadeller, especially for picnics during the summer. |
| Anna: Number 3 is Flæskesteg med brun sovs, brunede kartofler og rødkål. |
| Becky: “Roast pork with crackling with brown sauce, caramelized potatoes, and red cabbage.” This is a favorite dish among Danes of all ages, probably because it’s a seasonal Christmas dish. The most important and trickiest part of this dish is to get a perfect crispy crackling. Use a knife to cut the skin of the roast through to the meat in narrow strips, if it is not already done by the butcher. Then, rub the skin with salt, add a little pepper, and insert bay leaves, and optional cloves into the cuts. It’s now ready to be roasted in the oven, but if you are going for that divine crackling, make sure you get to know your oven well and watch the temperatures carefully when the roast is almost done. Mmm, sounds delicious! |
| Anna: It is! Number two is Smørrebrød |
| Becky: “Open-faced sandwiches.” This is the second most popular dish among visitors who want to try traditional Danish cuisine. |
| Anna: You will see simplified varieties of smørrebrød in lunchboxes, as it is considered traditional lunch in Denmark. |
| Becky: It usually consists of a buttered piece of rye bread with topping, such as cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and is decorated with accompaniments like herbs, onions, or pickles. |
| Anna: And Number 1 of course is Stegt flæsk med persillesovs. |
| Becky: “Fried bacon with parsley sauce.” This is the most popular traditional Danish food. This dish contains fried slices of juicy pork with fat, served with creamy parsley sauce and boiled potatoes. The meat itself consists of slices of pork belly or non-cured side bacon cut, so it looks like really thick slices of bacon. The pork belly is quite fatty so many Danes opt for the less fatty non cured side bacon cut. |
| Anna: Yet, if Denmark were to have a vote on the national dish, stegt flæsk med persillesovs would probably be one of the contenders along with frikadeller. |
| Becky: Great! Listeners, are you feeling hungry yet? I know I am! For more information, be sure to check out the lesson notes! |
| Anna: Yes. Also, please leave us a comment telling us what your favorite Danish food is, or which of these you’d like to try! |
Outro |
| Becky: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time! |
| Anna: Farvel! |
| Becky: Bye! |
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