Last full day in Denmark

Freshly baked rugbrød

Yesterday was my last full day in Denmark and we spent it visiting with food historian, bread expert, and head of the gastronomical society, Bi Skaarup. I'm sure she's got even more titles than that but it gives you an idea of her impressive credentials. She lives on a farm on the island of Falster which is south of the main island, about an hour and a half drive from Copenhagen.

Trying to find room in my suitcase for him...

For lunch she served us white asparagus which has just come into season here, a meat dish called groffenbrad which was like a cold pot-roast spread with a side of pickled quinces, two different kinds of delicious bread, a rhubarb with ice cream and meringue dessert, and a quartet of small cakes with the coffee at the end. It was quite the meal! We talked a lot about the history of Danish food and some common misconceptions about the origin of some ingredients. A few years ago she was charged with researching what was actually quite literally Danish food (as in, ingredients that originated in Denmark, with proof) for the European Union. She mentioned that France had 6,000 while Denmark's list is 130.


Two of the small cakes that she served were from recipes dating back to 1765 and we had two different kinds of apple juice made locally by a friend of hers who supplies the juice to noma. So while we didn't end up eating there, we can say that we peered into the windows and drank their apple juice.

Ceiling pantings in an old church

Bi had two dogs that were keeping us company during the meal that we enjoyed in her garden, one of which was a ten-week old chocolate lab who was very excited to have visitors.


On our way home we stopped at the island of Møn to look into a large old church. Churches in Denmark all have amazing paintings on the ceilings, many of which have been white washed during various periods in history. This particular church had all of the paintings restored and they were really amazing to see.


Finally it was time for my last dinner in Denmark, prepared by our close family friends that we've been staying with. They've done such a good job of feeding us that if we didn't have photos of every dish that we've eaten the meals here and the meals prepared by professional chefs would blend together! We had several dishes that we had discussed throughout the trip but not gotten a chance to eat: Norwegian lobster (a small, orange-colored variety), smoked herring with a summer salad (made from radishes and the smoked cheese that comes from Fyn called rygeost), and stegt flæsk med persillesauce (friend pieces of pork with new potatoes and a parsley sauce).

Stegt flaesk med persillesauce

This morning we've got one final appointment at La Glace, a Danish bakery that has been in business for 150 years. After that I head to the airport and my mom continues to spiser without me for a few more days before flying home herself.It's been a great trip full of much eating and exploring. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the writing of our book, Eat Smart in Denmark, as well as my culinary adventures as I test each of the 24 recipes that will be included in the book. Farvel for now!