Food & Gastronomy

Denmark was the first country in the world to establish governmental rules and regulations for organic food production in 1998. Producers who fulfil the strict criteria can sport the well-respected Ø-mark on their products which can easily be identified by the consumers. Today, all Danish supermarkets offer an excessive variety of organic products.

In recent years, Danes have become mass-consumers of organic products. No other country consumes more organic products per capita than Denmark, and sales of organic products have increased by more than 80 per cent since 2003. Because of this, producers are encouraged to create new organic products such as organic ice cream or organically raised fish. In recent years, as much as 52 per cent new organic products have found their way into Danish retail stores. 35 % of the milk being consumed and around 20 % of all eggs sold in Denmark are organic.

 

Photo: The "Ø"-mark helps Danish consumers to easily identify organic products.

 

Until recently, traditional Danish food was generally associated with potatoes, gravy and pork. Not anymore. The New Nordic Cuisine has revolutionized Danish gastronomy and created an entirely new focus on the Nordic regions local ingredients.

New Nordic restaurants in Denmark are known to serve dishes like slow-growing Limfjord oysters, wild reindeer, Greenlandic flounder, moorland grouse, lumpfish caviar and crayfish from the Gulf of Bothnia. Berries also play a big part within New Nordic Cuisine. In the forests of Scandinavia alone there are more than 50 types of berries, many of which are regional specialties. Who can claim to have tasted cloudberries, Arctic brambles or broke berries before?

 

Photo: NOMA has put Danish gastronomy on the world map.

 

The success of the New Nordic Cuisine has so far resulted in two Michelin Stars and the title of the world’s best restaurant four times for Noma. The restaurant Geranium has been awarded with two Michelin Stars for its cuisine, while head chef Rasmus Kofoed is internationally known as one of the world’s best chefs winning both the bronze, silver and gold medal in Bocuse d’Or. Also Head Chef Jeppe Foldager from restaurant Alberto K has won international fame with his silver medal Bocuse d’Or. There are a total of seven Michelin restaurants specializing in New Nordic Cuisine in Denmark.

Even though the success of the New Nordic kitchen has meant a renaissance of classic Danish dishes, many ordinary Danes still eat very diverse foods spanning from traditional Danish courses like porridge, open-faced sandwiches and the classic roast pork with parsley sauce to Japanese sushi, American hamburgers and Italian pizza.

 

Photo: Plate from the New Nordic restaurant Geranium.

 

For more visit these links for information on 'Danish cuisine' and 'Recipes Of Traditional Danish Food'.