Denmark Food and Drink

Traditional Danish cuisine centres around meat and fish dishes like stegt flæsk med persillesovs og kartoffler (fried pork with parsley sauce and potatoes) and herring. Since the early 2000s, however, the focus has shifted to new Danish cuisine with chefs getting very creative with organic and local produce.

Copenhagen is home to a string of restaurants boasting Michelin stars or 'rising star' status, among the Gastronomic heavyweights are Geranium, Noma, AOC, Kadeau, to name but a few.

Denmark is known for its Carlsberg and Tuborg beers and for its akvavit, but craft breweries also thrive in recent years.

Specialities

• Smørrebrød aka Open Face Sandwiches, are traditional Danish lunchtime dish consisting of buttered rye bread topped with sliced meat, fish or cheese.
• Medister sausage (medisterpølse) - a sausage stuffed with pork and spices is eaten with brown sauce and beetroot.
• Stegt flæsk med persillesovs og kartoffler - fried pork with parsley sauce and potatoes, considered a national dish.
• Herring - smoked or marinated. On the island of Bornholm, a specialty is called Sol over Gudhjem, translated as ‘sun over Gudhjem’, it features a buttered piece of rye bread topped with herring, red onions, and an egg yolk.
• Frikadeller - fried meatball made from fish, pork, or a blend of pork and beef, and is eaten with potatoes and parsley sauce. Fish frikadeller is usually eaten cold with remoulade and/or fried onions.

National drinks:
• Scandinavian coffee is usually drunk strong and black.
• Denmark also has many varieties of beer, famous breweries being Carlsberg and Tuborg. Craft beers are also popular.
• Akvavit, popularly known as schnapps, is meant to be drunk with cold food or at Christmas, preferably with a beer chaser. It is served ice cold.

Tipping

Hotels and restaurants quote fully inclusive prices and tipping is not necessary.

Drinking age

18.