Denmark's Fresh, Simple Cuisine

Healthy Danish Recipes
Green Salad with Asparagus & Peas (Salat med Asparges og Ærter)
Pea & New Potato Salad (Nye kartofler og Ærte Salat)
Elderflower Sparklers (Hyldeblomst Cocktails)
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Aquavit Seasonings (Snapse Krydret Svine Mørbrad)
Roasted Halibut with Pickled Beets (Stegte Helleflynder med Rødbeder)
Sweet-and-Sour Fish (Stegte Fisk i Eddike)
Sweet-and-Sour Fish Mini Smørrebrød (Smørrebrød med Stegte Fisk i Eddike)
Berry Pudding with Cream (Rødgrød med Fløde)

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Visiting Denmark

I used to wonder how such praise could be heaped on lowly potatoes until a few bites of last spring's crop convinced me—in, of all things, a sandwich. Restaurant Ida Davidsen in north-central Copenhagen specializes in smørrebrød—open-faced sandwiches, Danish style. On mine, "asparagus" potatoes (named for their long, slim shape) were layered onto rye bread, then topped with tart apple and thyme-flecked onions. It struck me as a perfect combination of sweet and sour, softness and crunch, and it was just one of dozens of tempting choices I could have made from the 175-plus sandwiches on the menu.

Great bread is the foundation of the centuries-old tradition of smørrebrød. No matter what the size or shape of the bread, whole-grain is the rule rather than the exception, so most Danes get a regular dose of the fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients whole grains supply. Though no one knows the origins, smørrebrød ("buttered bread") probably evolved from a custom of using bread rounds as edible plates so that no morsel of food or sauce was wasted. Today it's as much art form as sandwich. The only constant is a single, thin slice of sturdy bread, spread with butter to keep the bread from getting soggy.