Wondering what to eat in Denmark during your first trip to the Scandinavian country? Read on to discover 25 must-try traditional Danish food favorites to sample in the country known for Hans Christian Andersen, Legos and Noma.
Are you familiar with Danish food? Don't feel bad if you're not. We were a bit naive about Danish food culture until we traveled to Denmark and spent a week diving into the Copenhagen food scene.
Prior to our trip, we knew about Copenhagen's New Nordic food movement and the city's world class reputation for baked goods. We arrived to the Danish capital with Noma reservations in hand and a list of bakeries to visit as long as our arms.
However, we knew little about traditional Danish food beyond snail shaped pastries commonly called 'danishes' in America. It's not that we weren't interested in Scandinavia's most exciting cuisine. Rather, unlike Italian and Chinese cuisines, Danish food isn't on every other American street corner.
Denmark's traditional food has a direct correlation to the country's geography and climate. But these aren't the sole elements that helped form Danish cuisine.
We'd be remiss if we didn't recognize the Danish people themselves. Notable for both their strong work ethic as well as their commitment to hygge, a concept that encourages a cozy and comfortable lifestyle, Danes have directly influenced their country's cuisine.
Fun Fact: The Danish diet is nothing new. Its roots date back centuries to Denmark's Viking days.
Located north of Germany and south of both Norway and Sweden, Denmark is Scandinavia's most southern country. It's flanked by both the Baltic and North Seas and has more than 400 islands.
Danish winters tend to be long and cold. Accordingly, Danes traditionally eat a preponderance of meat and boiled potatoes during the winter and a lot of fish and fresh berries during warmer months. Regardless of the season, locally sourced foods, both farmed and foraged, can be easily found in Denmark.
Don't feel bad for the Danes.
Despite Denmark's long, cold winters, Danes consistently rank as some of the happiest people in the world. We choose to believe that this happiness is partially due to the country's plethora of desserts and pastries. Danish sweet treats certainly make us happy!
One week in Copenhagen transformed us from Danish food novices to Danish food fans. We now have more than two dozen Danish dishes and drinks that we'd happily fly back to Copenhagen to enjoy again. And that's not even counting the city's amazing restaurant scene!
In the future, maybe we'll return to eat Danish Christmas food and drink Gloegg during a December visit. But, for now, we've placed our favorite Danish foods and drinks into this handy Denmark food guide which we've separated into the following categories for ease of use:
Visit 2foodtrippers to discover what to eat in Denmark including food photos and fun facts.
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