Isn't it funny how attached we are to thing (and beliefs) that we grew up with? I've lived in England for some years, and it's close enough to Denmark that the food is not markedly different, but there are still thing I can't quite get. So I found an online store specializing in getting select Danish food stuffs to Danish ex-patriots, and got meself some Danish cheese, Danish Herring, etc. Gawd, that was good.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with inherent qualities in the stuff. For example people from down under may love Vegemite, and that is gruesome. :-)
Here in Cape Town there is a company that sells "Danish hotdogs" from stalls at events. Not sure if they're really Danish cuisine or not. They consist of a frankfurter on a roll, dressed with thinly sliced pickled cucumber and mayonnaise with a sprinkle of crisply fried onion bits on top. Danish or not, they're very good.
ReplyDeleteSounds good, but a Danish hot dog would be the characteristic thin red Danish sausage, with mustard and ketchup, perhaps onions, raw or hard fried (little hard brown bits.)
ReplyDeleteGuys...you're making me VERY hungry...for one of my most favorite things on the entire planet: a decent Danish hot dog! :-( They have similar ones, here in America, which they call *Old fashined frankfurters* but...nope...none are as GOOD as the REAL Danish ones! What kind of cheese did you get, Eo? My favorite (a true Dane I am, it's said...'cuz I happen to love the *stinkiest* of the bunch! lol!) is *Gamle Ole*. There ain't much better on ryebread. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd...I just made homemade frikadeller for my son, the other day, who really loves them, too! :-)
And...oh man...pickled herring! Stop it! lol! No liverpåstej, hey?! What I wouldn't give to be able to go over and have a REAL Danish smorgasbord. There aren't too many more *eats* I can think of that I enjoy more! YUM!! :-)
It's funny how certain foods are associated with a particular country - Italy and Pasta, for example. When you say "Danish food" I'm stumped though. I can't think of anything that is charateristically DAnish.
ReplyDeleteDanish Bacon.
ReplyDeleteWe were always told Danish Bacon was somehow the one we ought to buy. We were also told New Zealand butter was creamier, and New Zealand lamb was the best.
That was Britain in the 70's.
I too have to find my ex-pat food sources, but my tastes have changed, and some basic products have changed (addition of Saccharine to non diet UK sodas, such as Irn Bru, Tizer and Tango). Life's hard
"Danish food" is a bit subtle. In my whole life, in Denmark, for example, I've only ever seen a single restaurant advertising Danish food instead of Italian, Chinese, or American. So obviously it won't have a great presence in other countries.
ReplyDeleteWhat can you get in Denmark you can't get elsewhere? Or what is thought of as Danish and not, you know, German or something. The example of Italy and pasta is good because when you think pasta you think Italy.
ReplyDeleteEngland, as the movie A Fish Called Wanda said, is known primarily for Fish and Chips. Their great contribution to world cuisine. Americans are known for giving the idea of fast food to the world.
Some countries might not have contributed anything unique.
I don't know what's *uniquely* Danish. It's a tiny country, so probably not much. Perhaps ymer and frikadeller. (Ymer is simialar to yogurt, but different, and frikadeller is a sort of hard meat ball.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should have considered someone on mainland Europe instead of England. That would have made it easier to nip over and get some of your favorite Danish foods. Maybe just over the border in Germany. What are the taxes like in Germany?
ReplyDeleteI think not much better. Weird as it sounds, UK is actually one of the best options in the Western world. Before Thatcher, it was the worst.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty expensive place to live, though. I've been there. It seems that everything is at least twice the price that it is here. And not just in London. Still, I guess a lot cheaper and than Denmark and much better tax wise.
ReplyDeleteEurope as a whole is expensive. I guess it's the welfare.
ReplyDeleteCanada gave the world the poutine and that is more than enough quality food for any country to contribute.
ReplyDeletehttp://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=161&resolution=high
The poutine was born in Quebec, and many of the francophone Quebecers ("Quebecois") consider it to be another country. They are always threatening to separate. Then we will no longer be able to claim the (dubious?) honour of inventing poutine. What's left? Caribou jerky?
ReplyDeleteEurope as a whole is expensive. I guess it's the welfare.
ReplyDeleteCould be. Thing is, though, the GDP of the UK or Germany is higher than that of Canada but everything is much cheaper here. Oh well, I can't say economics was ever an interest of mine. Thankfully.
"What's left? Caribou jerky?
ReplyDeleteNope, we've given the world:
Ginger Ale
THE CHOCOLATE BAR!!!!
Processed cheese
Frozen food
Pablum
Instant mashed potatoes
Canola
and most of the french canadians I know (I live in Quebec) dont want separation and think 2 referendumbs is enough.
And all this time I thought Ymer was the frost giant from whose body the earth was made.
ReplyDeleteBut then, I thought Yogurt was Obi-Wan Kenobi's old teacher. I'm often confused.