Denmark's Smørrebrød

I was first introduced to smørrebrød, a staple of Danish cuisine, when I studied in Copenhagen in 1985. When my husband Brian and I traveled in Denmark in 2019, we enjoyed smørrebrød on different occasions. The photo above was taken at the cafe at Kronborg Castle in Helsingor. These are definitely examples of fancy smørrebrød with several components including crisp chicken skin as a garnish. 

The literal meaning of this essential dish is buttered bread because in Danish smørre means butter and brød means bread. In the US, we would think of these creations as open-faced sandwiches. They are made by each person on their own plate from ingredients provided at the table. Smørrebrød kits can also be purchased at the grocery store, like the one pictured above. A few additions in the photo include butter, a small bowl of pickled herring, and a tube of remoulade, a savory, mayonaise-based spread. The plate at the top features three quarters of typical Danish rye bread or røgbrød.

The occasion for this meal was our first afternoon visiting Grethe, the mother of the family I lived with while studying in Denmark so many years ago. She provided the lovely plates and extra ingredients. To build a smørrebrød, you start with heavy rye bread, upon which you spread butter. The one above has a piece of fried fish, remolade, shrimp, topped with a sprig of dill. 

Smørrebrød can be made in various sizes. Brian and I were making ours one-quarter the size of a slice of rye bread because we wanted to delight our tastebuds by making as many combinations as possible. Typically a one-half slice of rye bread is used like in the opening photo. The one above features pickle herring, pickled cabbage, and a pickle with flat parsley for garnish.

There really aren't any rules about making smørrebrød. Possible combinations are endless. The only rule one must observe is to eat your smørrebrød with a fork and knife. No eating these delectable little sandwiches with your hands. Above we have lettuce, hard-boiled egg, shrimp, and tomato.

The final example from our lovely dinner with Grethe is the classic pickled herring with onion and dill. As a student in Denmark, getting used to the flavor and texture of pickled herring took some time, but I grew to love it. After adjusting my tastebuds, I also enjoyed leverpastej or liver pate made from pork liver. It's not pictured here but is as common as peanut butter was in the US when I was a kid. 

This final occasion for eating smørrebrød was a dinner at Grethe's son and daughter-in-law's home. Meal-sized smørrebrød were served on a whole slice of rye bread with fried fish, shrimp, remolade, mushrooms, cucumber, and lemon. Delicious! Below gives you an aerial view. Mange tak (many thanks) for a lovely meal!