Published on and written by Cyril Jarnias
Moving to Denmark means accepting to live with the wind, the long winter evenings… and above all, with a culinary culture far richer than its image as the “land of herring and hot dogs.” For many expatriates, the first real contact with Danish society happens through the plate. Between peasant tradition, the refinement of New Nordic Cuisine, and the famous concept of hygge, eating in Denmark is a privileged gateway to local life.
This practical guide helps you understand and taste the local cuisine, whether at a restaurant, at someone’s home, during a cooking class, or even while grocery shopping at the supermarket.
Understanding the DNA of Danish Cuisine
Danish cuisine is deeply linked to geography and climate. A flat country, surrounded by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, dotted with over 400 islands, Denmark has long lived through long, cold winters. This shaped a survival-based gastronomy that, over the centuries, became a regional cuisine and then a leading culinary scene.
The historical foundations of Nordic cuisine were simple: rye bread, fish, pork, and rustic vegetables like cabbage. Potatoes became widespread in the 19th century with industrialization. This backbone was later enriched by spices imported in the Middle Ages, Mediterranean influences in the 1960s-70s, and finally revolutionized by the *New Nordic Cuisine* in the early 2000s.
The result today is a unique blend: very hearty family dishes, an open sandwich culture, an unapologetic passion for pastries, and, at the top of the pyramid, an ultra-creative gastronomic movement that has elevated restaurants like Noma or Geranium to world-renowned status.
Three Meals a Day… and Lots of Hygge
The Danish eating day is very structured. In the morning, a cold breakfast based on bread, cheese, jam, and coffee. At midday, a frokost (lunch) that is also mostly cold, centered on smørrebrød, those open-faced sandwiches on rye bread. In the evening, however, the whole family gathers for the hot dinner, most often at home, in an atmosphere Danes sum up with an untranslatable word: hygge.
In Denmark, meals are a privileged space for *hygge*. They are characterized by soft lighting, lots of candles, quiet conversations, and generous but unpretentious food. For an expatriate, grasping this dimension allows for appreciating dishes that may seem simple at first glance.
The Must-Know Classics (and Must-Tries)
Before booking a starred restaurant, it’s useful to master the fundamentals. Here are some dishes and products you’ll encounter everywhere, from Copenhagen to Aarhus.
Smørrebrød and Rugbrød: The Danish Signature
The smørrebrød is perhaps the strongest icon of Danish cuisine. Literally “buttered bread,” in practice it’s a slice of rugbrød, the famous dense and tangy rye bread, topped with an entire landscape of products: pickled herring, roast beef, eggs, shrimp, potatoes, cheeses, condiments, fresh herbs…
The rugbrød itself deserves attention. It’s a whole grain bread made from fermented rye, often enriched with seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin). It keeps easily for a week, is sliced thinly, and forms the nutritional base for many Danes. One of the best gateways into the local culture for an expatriate is learning to love it… and to cook it.
Smørrebrød is eaten exclusively with a knife and fork. During a meal composed of several sandwiches, the tasting order is precise: you start with the fish (herring, salmon), then the meat-based toppings, and finish possibly with cheeses. Some compositions have poetic names, like the ‘stjerneskud’ (shooting star) or ‘dyrlægens natmad’ (veterinarian’s midnight snack).
The National Dish: Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesovs
If you ask a Dane what the most emblematic dish of the country is, they will almost always name the same one: stegt flæsk med persillesovs, thick slices of crispy pork belly, served with boiled potatoes and parsley sauce. This dish was officially voted “national dish” by a public vote in the mid-2010s.
Beyond its very rustic appearance, it condenses several essential elements of Danish cuisine: the importance of pork, the almost systematic presence of potatoes, and a simple but rich sauce, here based on butter, flour, milk or broth, flavored with parsley. It is also one of the dishes that, during julefrokost (Christmas lunches), competes for the spotlight with flæskesteg, the roast pork with crispy crackling.
Meat, Potatoes, Cabbage: The Pillars of Daily Life
Peasant tradition and industrialization established a fairly stable matrix: meat + potatoes + sauce + cooked vegetables.
Among the dishes you’ll often see on menus:
| Dish | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| Frikadeller | Pan-fried meatballs (pork or pork/veal), served with potatoes |
| Forloren hare | “Mock hare,” a pork/veal meatloaf wrapped in bacon |
| Medisterpølse | Large spiced pork sausage, served with potatoes and sauce |
| Æbleflæsk | Pork belly with apple compote and onions |
| Boller i karry | Pork meatballs in curry sauce, served with rice |
| Gule ærter | Thick yellow split pea soup with pieces of pork |
| Hakkebøf | Thick ground beef steak, often served with onions and brown sauce |
Alongside meat dishes, the Danish table also gives great importance to fish: cod (kogt torsk in its poached version with mustard sauce), pickled herring (syltede sild) in countless variations (classic, curry, mustard), or smoked fish, very popular on smørrebrød.
Sweets: Pastries, Creams, and Licorice
Danes are often seen as pastry lovers, and the numbers confirm this reputation: the annual consumption of cakes and pastries is estimated at around ten kilograms per person. But what the rest of the world calls “Danish” goes by another name here: wienerbrød, literally “Viennese bread.”
This family of pastries is based on a laminated yeast dough, rolled with butter in several turns to obtain about twenty layers. Legend has it that this technique arrived in Denmark with Austrian bakers in the mid-19th century, during a strike by local artisans. The Danes then supposedly adapted it by increasing the proportion of eggs and fats, giving birth to their own specialties.
Origin of the Danish pastry
Among the must-tries:
| Sweet Specialty | Main Particularity |
|---|---|
| Wienerbrød (generic) | Laminated yeast dough, filled with cream, fruits, almonds, etc. |
| Spandauer | Round, with a heart of cream or almond paste |
| Kanelsnegle | Cinnamon “snail,” rolled and cut into discs |
| Drømmekage | Moist cake topped with a coconut-caramel mix |
| Æbleskiver | Pancake-like dough balls, fried in spherical molds |
| Rødgrød med fløde | Red berry compote served with cream |
| Koldskål | Cold preparation with fermented milk, served with crisp cookies |
Alongside, confectionery plays an identity role with lakrids, ubiquitous licorice, including salty versions, in ice creams, savory snacks, and even spirits. You’ll also find festive cakes like kransekage, a crown of almond macaroons stacked in rings, traditionally served at New Year.
New Nordic Cuisine: When Terroir Becomes Haute Couture
If you’re drawn to fine dining, Denmark is a prime destination. It’s here that the New Nordic Cuisine movement emerged in the mid-2000s. Led by chef René Redzepi (Noma) and culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer, it’s based on a manifesto drafted in Copenhagen that promotes the use of local, natural, and seasonal products, with a strong focus on sustainability, animal welfare, and expressing the “genius of the place.”
An approach that fuses traditional know-how and contemporary innovations for respectful and creative cuisine.
Bringing back traditional methods like smoking, salting, fermentation, pickling, and drying.
Complete use of the animal to reduce waste and valorize every part in dish preparation.
Integration of wild plants, seaweed, and berries directly from nature for authentic flavors.
Use of contemporary techniques such as sous-vide cooking and experimentation in culinary labs.
Restaurants like Noma or Geranium, both in Copenhagen, have been awarded several Michelin stars and have often topped world rankings. At a more accessible level, a host of bistros and “bistronomic” tables offer this philosophy in a daily version, with short, very seasonal menus focused on a few quality products.
For an expatriate, this “Nordic revolution” has a direct effect: even in a simple supermarket or the company cafeteria, you can feel the valorization of local ingredients, vegetables, organic products, and dairy and meat from more responsible supply chains.
Festivals, Events, and Culinary Life
Living in Denmark also means enjoying a very dense calendar of food festivals and gourmet events.
Two major food festivals mark the year in Copenhagen, including Copenhagen Cooking, one of the most important in Northern Europe.
Another key event: the Tivoli Food Festival in the Tivoli Gardens. On the program: tastings, workshops, live demonstrations, large communal dinners, and a strong presence of Danish and Nordic chefs. Also in this iconic park, you’ll find a smørrebrød festival and a “Food & Wine” festival where the park’s restaurants and H. C. Andersen’s Castle showcase the classic culinary heritage.
Outside the capital, Food Festival Aarhus brings together over 30,000 visitors each year, 250 producers and artisans on a large esplanade by the sea. Stated goal: to make people love good food, support the Danish gastronomic heritage, and create a direct link between consumers, chefs, and producers. Further south, the Oyster Festival in the Wadden Sea National Park (a UNESCO site) offers oyster safaris, wild ingredient foraging, and a hotly contested competition to name the “Oyster Chef of the Year.”
For an expatriate, these events are an ideal opportunity to taste a lot of things in a short time, to talk directly with producers, and to observe how Danes experience food in a festive setting.
Cooking Classes: Learning by Doing
Nothing beats getting your hands dirty to get acquainted with a new culinary culture. Good news: in Denmark, the offer of cooking classes designed for tourists and expatriates is rich, especially in Copenhagen.
CPH Cooking Class and Other Schools in Copenhagen
Near Nyhavn, the CPH Cooking Class school (Herluf Trolles Gade 9) organizes workshops in English, focused on Danish and Nordic cuisine. Most sessions follow the same logic: a very guided practical part, then a collective meal in a cozy dining room, in a clearly “hygge” spirit.
The themes range from baking basics to smørrebrød. Among the workshops offered:
| Workshop (CPH Cooking Class) | Main Content | Approximate Price (DKK) |
|---|---|---|
| Taste of Denmark – Pixi | Express introduction to Danish cuisine | 595 |
| Danish Baking | Breads and buns, sourdough, shaping | 870 |
| Danish Pastry | Lamination, pastries, wienerbrød | 695 |
| Smørrebrød | Rye bread + seasonal open-faced sandwiches | 715 |
| New Nordic Cooking Class & Dinner | Three-course dinner in the New Nordic spirit | 1,150 |
| Cardamom Buns | Cardamom buns | 475 |
| Eat More Greens | Nordic vegetarian cuisine | 645 |
| Fastelavns Boller | Seasonal festive cream buns | 495 |
| Shape & Bake | Shaping of pre-prepared doughs | 615 |
| Pickling and Preserving | Pickles, preserves, canning | 795 |
| Steak Me Out / We Love Fish | Techniques around meat or fish | 870 |
The groups are generally small, the workshops are suitable for beginners, and it’s possible to organize private events (often from 8 people). Some packages include an open bar with organic wines, craft beers, sparkling teas, and non-alcoholic drinks.
Copenhagen’s culinary landscape is complemented by various players. Hahnemanns Køkken, in the Østerbro district, is a multi-purpose space run by chef Trine Hahnemann, combining a café, bookstore, and culinary workshops focused on ancient grains and sustainable cooking. Furthermore, platforms like Cozymeal or Miummium allow you to book themed cooking classes (pastry, world cuisines) or a private chef, with online options available.
In Frederiksberg, a school like Terrible (run by the chef of the same name) also works with an international clientele. In the meatpacking district, Oiran Japanese Cooking School illustrates just how much Copenhagen has become a global culinary playground, where you can do a smørrebrød workshop and a Japanese cooking class back-to-back.
Elsewhere in the Country
Major regional cities are not left behind. Aarhus and Odense have workshops for the general public, often in the evening: introduction to Nordic cuisine, sourdough bread classes, workshops on pickles and fermentation. Platforms like Kromans.dk or All About Cooking list dozens of menus in English, adapted for expatriate groups or companies.
For a newcomer to a country or a company, participating in collaborative projects or sharing a common workspace allows for quickly building an initial social network. Informal interactions and exchanges around a task help overcome cultural barriers because concrete collaboration creates common ground and mutual understanding.
Eating Out: From Hot Dog to Starred Table
It’s often said that “eating out is expensive in Denmark.” That’s true, especially compared to European averages. But knowing the range of options helps adapt your habits.
Everyday Dining
The pølsevogne, hot dog carts, are an institution. The rød pølse (red sausage) is enjoyed in a bun, with raw onions, fried onions, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade, that thick yellow sauce based on mayonnaise, pickles, and spices. Some organic kiosks, like DØP in Copenhagen, revisit this classic with local and sustainable ingredients.
Cafés and burger/grill bars serve burgers, fries, salads, and a choice of various sandwiches. Pizzerias, often run by foreign families, are ubiquitous. Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine (kebabs, falafels, shawarma) has become a pillar of fast food in cities.
Cafés now offer hearty brunches, revisited porridges (grød), and creative open-faced sandwiches, under the influence of the New Nordic movement. This trend emphasizes organic products, vegetables, and traceable dairy.
The Temples of Smørrebrød and Danish Cuisine
To discover the “restaurant” version of the local cuisine, a few Copenhagen addresses are particularly telling. Historic places like Restaurant Schønnemann (founded in 1877) or Husmanns Vinstue (1888) serve sumptuous smørrebrød, house-made herring, and snaps (caraway, dill, etc. flavored aquavit) in an atmosphere that has remained almost intact for over a century.
More contemporary tables like Aamanns 1921 or Restaurant Palægade offer modernized but very respectful versions of the classics, sourcing almost exclusively from organic or artisanal producers. Restaurants like Selma play the creative card, with a Swedish chef who approaches smørrebrød as an artistic medium.
For an expatriate, these addresses are precious: you discover how an everyday dish can be elevated, and you can observe the art of toasts – *skål* – with *snaps*, including the ritual of making eye contact when clinking glasses.
Fine Dining and New Nordic
At the top of the pyramid are the restaurants that built the country’s international reputation. Without necessarily booking a table (prices and waiting lists can be prohibitive), it’s useful to know their role, if only to understand what then trickles down into more affordable dining.
Noma popularized the idea that you could serve extremely local ingredients – seaweed, mosses, live ants, rare shellfish – in menus with a strong narrative dimension, where each dish tells a piece of landscape or history. Geranium, another starred restaurant in Copenhagen, pushed the notion of refinement and minimalist aesthetics even further, working a lot with vegetables, herbs, and seasonal fish.
Many brigades from these establishments then feed other, more accessible projects: bistros, cafés, wine bars, neighborhood canteens where you find, on a smaller scale, the same demand for products and seasons.
Dining at a Dane’s Home: Rituals and Codes Around the Table
Sharing a meal at a local’s home is perhaps the most intimate way to understand Danes’ relationship with food. But the social framework is codified, and respecting it greatly facilitates integration.
The Invitation and Arrival
Danes are punctual. Arriving on time is not a minor politeness detail, it is a social norm. Even five minutes late deserves a call to let them know. You don’t show up unannounced, visits are planned.
Bringing a small gift is not obligatory but highly appreciated: flowers, wine, chocolates, a candle, or even an object from your home country. Wrapping paper or a nice little bag is the norm. The host will generally open the gift in front of you.
It is customary to remove your shoes upon entry, except at very formal events. Hosts, often proud of their interior which they have usually furnished themselves, frequently offer a guided tour. Offering to help set the table or bring dishes is appreciated.
At the Table: Toasts, Cutlery, and Tak for Mad
Service, even for a barbecue, remains fairly formal: multiple dishes, announcement of the meal by the host, sometimes assigned seats. You stand behind your chair until the host gives the signal to sit.
You don’t start eating before the first toast (skål) or before the person who cooked has started their plate. The cutlery style is “continental“: knife on the right, fork on the left, both kept in hand while eating. Keep your wrists on the edge of the table, not your elbows.
The implicit principle is to taste everything offered, even in small quantities, out of respect for the effort of the cook. You take small portions at the first serving, because it’s frowned upon to leave food on your plate. Second helpings will often be offered, which you can freely accept or decline.
To signal the end of the meal, place your knife and fork parallel, handles to the right and fork tines up. It is essential to thank them by saying ‘tak for mad’ (thanks for the food). Offering to help clear the table or do the dishes is a much-appreciated gesture.
Toasts often punctuate the meal, especially if there is snaps or beer. You raise the glass to eye level, seek eye contact with your neighbors, say skål, and take a sip. It’s perfectly acceptable to toast with water or a non-alcoholic drink.
After the Meal
Often, the evening continues in the living room, over coffee, a digestif, or a plate of cookies and chocolates. Dinners don’t last until the wee hours: everyone usually leaves at roughly the same time.
The next day or at the next meeting, it’s common to say tak for sidst (“thanks for last time”), a way of extending the social bond forged around the table.
Supermarkets and Grocery Shopping: Getting Used to Daily Life
Learning about the local gastronomy also involves navigating supermarket aisles, a step often confusing for an expatriate.
How Does the Danish Grocery Retail System Work?
The market is dominated by a few large groups (Salling Group, Coop, Rema 1000, Lidl, etc.), with a fairly clear hierarchy: discounters (Netto, Rema 1000, Lidl, 365discount…), mid/high-end supermarkets (Føtex, SuperBrugsen, Meny…), and hypermarkets like Bilka.
Stores open early (7–8 a.m.) and close late (9–10 p.m.), including on Sundays for most. They are numerous, especially in cities: in Copenhagen, having three or four supermarkets within less than two kilometers is common. Space is often limited, aisles narrow and sometimes crowded, especially at peak hours.
A frequent culture shock for expatriates comes from the speed of the checkout: you put your items on the belt, they are scanned quickly, then you must pay, pack everything, and clear the space immediately, under the gaze of the next customer. Danes pack their own groceries; it’s the norm. Better to bring your own bags, as plastic bags cost extra.
Displayed prices include all taxes, including 25% VAT. A deposit (pant) applies to bottles and cans, refundable via machines in stores. Payment is mainly by bank card or via the MobilePay app; cash use has become very marginal.
What You Find (and What Surprises You)
Danish supermarkets have a reputation for offering less variety than elsewhere in Europe: often one or two choices per product, not ten. But they are very well stocked in dairy products, cold cuts, canned fish, and rye bread.
You quickly spot some staples: trays of pickled or smoked herring, portions of leverpostej (pork liver pâté), whole or pre-sliced large rye bread loaves, huge potato and cabbage sections, thick sour cream, fermented milk, salted butter. The candle and colored paper napkin section often surprises with its importance: creating a hygge atmosphere at the table is taken very seriously.
Denmark was a pioneer in public control of organic agriculture since the 1980s. Today, organic products, identifiable by the red ‘Ø’ logo or the European green leaf, are widely available, even in discount chains. Supermarkets also offer dedicated sections for specific diets: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or lactose-free.
For affordable spices, exotic fruits, or products closer to what you know from your home country, ethnic shops (Asian, Middle Eastern stores, etc.) and large bazaars like Bazaar Vest in Aarhus or Vestegnens Bazar near Copenhagen are often more suitable.
Practical Tips for Finding Your Way
It can be useful to quickly acquire a little Danish food vocabulary, if only to avoid confusion. Distinguishing svinekød (pork), oksekød (beef), fisk (fish), skaldyr (seafood), rugbrød (rye bread), or kartoffel (potato) will make your life easier.
On labels, the abbreviation stk. means “piece,” which helps you understand if the price is “per unit.” Apps like Google Translate (camera mode) can help in real time. Promotional websites and apps like eTilbudsavis or minetilbud.dk help spot the week’s good deals; many Danes consult these digital flyers before shopping.
Finally, don’t be surprised by the short shelf life of some fresh products: fewer preservatives mean you should avoid buying too much in bulk, especially since many households shop frequently by bike or on foot.
Language, Codes, and Integration Through Gastronomy
Even though most Danes speak excellent English, showing an effort to use a few local words, especially in a culinary context, is very appreciated. The phrase Det smager fantastisk! (“it’s delicious!”) works everywhere, from a dinner at friends’ to a smørrebrød stand at a market.
Learning a few key phrases in Danish, like ‘Jeg vil gerne bestille…’ (to order), ‘Kan jeg få menuen, tak?’ (asking for the menu) or indicating a vegetarian diet or an allergy, greatly facilitates dining out. Waitstaff are generally very understanding of dietary restrictions, especially in urban areas.
Conversely, respecting table manners (not eating with your fingers what is traditionally eaten with cutlery, not speaking too loudly, not bragging or “showing off” ostentatiously) will help you not stand out in an environment where modesty and discretion are highly valued.
For Gourmet Expatriates: A Few Strategies
Adopting Danish gastronomy doesn’t mean giving up your original food culture, but rather adding a new layer to your culinary identity.
A few concrete paths to achieve this:
To appropriate Danish culinary culture, adopt a weekly *smørrebrød* routine with local products, master three basic recipes (a meat dish like *frikadeller*, a fish dish like *kogt torsk*, and a dessert such as *kanelsnegle*), participate in a major food festival (Copenhagen Cooking, Food Festival Aarhus, etc.), take an English-language cooking class to grasp the techniques, and explore the organic sections of supermarkets to cook Nordic by favoring seasonal, local products and fermentations.
Gradually, what seemed strange – the very dark bread, the jarred herring, the passion for parsley sauce – becomes familiar, then appreciated. And it’s not uncommon to see expatriates leave after several years in Denmark with a rugbrød sourdough starter in their luggage, a few Danish food-related phrases, and a very specific nostalgia for the crunchy sound of flæskesteg crackling between their teeth.
Ultimately, discovering local gastronomy in Denmark, for an expatriate, is much more than ticking dishes off a list: it’s entering the rhythm of the seasons, understanding how a country tells its own story through what it eats, and giving yourself an extra chance to feel, at the table, a little less like a stranger.
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Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.
On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.
Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.
