Danish cuisine (2024)

FAQs

What is Danish cuisine known for? ›

The Danish kitchen is known for things like rye bread, open-faced sandwiches, meatballs, and over the past years also for New Nordic Cuisine. If you want to cook the Danish way, you have come to the right place. Find recipes of some favourite Danish dishes below. Enjoy!

Denmark's national food dish: Stegt flæsk

A few years ago, Danes were asked to vote for their national dish. And the winning dish, a classic pork recipe 'stegt flæsk med persillesovs', was no surprise.

Not only has Denmark been known to have the world's best restaurant NOMA, it is also known as Scandinavia's gourmet capital and has fourteen other Michelin starred restaurants.

Typical Danish breakfast is bread (white or rye bread) with cream or soft cheese, sausage, cured cold meat or jam with coffee or tea. Among popular breakfast dishes are also cereals and porridge. One of the most interesting things and a very traditional Danish food you can eat in Copenhagen is øllebrød.

What is traditional Danish food? Traditional Danish food is based on what was historically available nearby or could be farmed during Denmark's short summers. Cabbage and root vegetables like beets were an important part of the diet, along with rye bread, fish, and pork.

The Danes are known for being cosmopolitan, well-educated, and openminded people. Equality is a keyword in Danish culture. The vast majority of people belong to the middle class, and the percentage of poor people is low.

It's considered very important and they do this in Nordic countries on a regular basis, not everyday but it's often," Holm said. "Our Nordic study showed dinners in Denmark to be around 6:30pm or 7pm. In Norway they are earlier, so Denmark is not particularly early here, but compared to countries like Spain, they are.

The Spandauer

It's a classic. The spandauer is probably what comes to a non-Dane's mind when you mention a 'Danish pastry'.

Is it cheap to eat in Denmark? ›

Denmark has a reputation as an expensive place to eat. Though you can find many fine-dining restaurants in Denmark, you'll find that cities like Copenhagen and Aarhus are some of Scandinavia's best for restaurant choices. It's easy to head out from your hotel and find good, cheap restaurants. You just need to look!

Danbo is often called "Denmark's national cheese". We love this mild, slightly sour cow's milk cheese and you can find it in every supermarket and in many a Dane's lunch box.

Danish schnapps is called Akvavit and is a high-proof spirit. It is best to drink Akvavit with a beer chaser. Beer is a very popular drink throughout Denmark with world-famous brews such as Carlsberg and Tuberg available internationally. The most popular type of beer in the country is pilsner, which is a lager.

Akvavit, translated from Latin to mean 'water of life', is a Scandinavian drink distilled from potatoes and grains and flavoured with herbs. It is the national drink of Denmark and is enjoyed as a celebration drink, sipped from a shot glass.

Main meals. Most Danes have three regular meals a day, usually consisting of a cold breakfast with coffee or tea, a cold lunch at work and a hot dinner at home with the family. Some also have a snack in the middle of the afternoon or in the late evening.

If there is one food that Denmark is famous for, it is their open-faced sandwiches. A smørrebrød is typically made with buttered rye bread topped with any combination of meats, cheeses, and garnishes. These caramelized potatoes are often used as a side dish for Christmas dinner.

Hygge is as Danish as æbleskiver and it goes far in illuminating the Danish soul. In essence, hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Cosying up with a loved one for a movie – that's hygge, too.