Pickled Herring being sold at a shop in Copenhagen. Photo by Saul Janiak Stein.
Copenhagen is a coastal city in Northern Europe in a little cove in Denmark. Seeing as it is on the coast, fish is fresh, and abundant and is a large component of the cuisine there. The city is filled with cafes, bistros, and delis, and a type of sandwich shop unique to the country. A Smorrebrod shop. Smorrebrod is a Danish staple, but not only is it integral to the food scene today, but the small open-faced sandwich is a long beloved Nordic Tradition. So, what is the Smorrebrod and why is it so loved?
The answer to the affection behind the treat can be summed up in two words—versatility, and creativity. The Smorrebrod has the same beginning for all variations of the sandwich. A thick-cut slice of the rich and hearty rugbrod, a dark brown rye bread, and a healthy slather of butter. This on its own is marvelous and the bread’s deep flavors compliment any type of topping. The ingenuity in the sandwich rests on the rest of the makeup, the toppings. The options are infinite and the key to why it’s so good is its ability to highlight the flavors. Anything put on top of the bread is put in the spotlight.
Some of the most popular combinations make use of fresh ingredients and attempt to focus on the ingredients that are put on top of the bread. Some of the most popular flavors that are bought and enjoyed by locals show how this happens. The most popular combinations mostly use fish. One of the most popular flavors uses eggs and tiny shrimp. The tiny shrimp don’t have much seasoning on them and are lightly cooked but they become the main star of the show. The eggs make a base texturally and allow for the flavor of the shrimp to be properly enjoyed. This same effect appears in another one of the most popular flavors, the marinated salmon. The salmon there is unbelievably fresh. The salmon that I tried was raw and super creamy in texture. On top were a few fruits and veggies that complemented the salmon perfectly. The sweet pomegranate seeds makes the heavy salmon flavor more bearable, and the sharp fennel cuts through the sweetness and creaminess and makes for a perfect balance.
One of the flavors I was more hesitant to try was a pickled herring sandwich. This is one of the most unique flavors there and certainly highlights the herring flavor. The herring is nearly raw on the bread, the fish just being cured with the salt, and then pickled. The sandwich at the restaurant consisted of the herring and a small bit of butter and beets on top. The herring is one example of the great fresh use of seafood in Denmark. Herring especially at that market was fished that morning or very recently and shipped inland. Seeing as Denmark is already on the coast many restaurants are extremely close to the sea. The specific restaurant I went to was not much more than a 15-minute walk from the waterfront. This means that all of the fish there is extremely fresh.
Smorrebrod is best enjoyed with the fish. It’s a traditional delicacy and a perfect example of how cuisine makes use of and highlights fresh ingredients.
