DENMARK
13-20 October 2013
Denmark is famous for many things, but its cuisine hasn't been exactly one of them. That is however slowly changing thanks to the new
generation of great chefs who, inspired by continental practices, have in
recent years developed an innovative series of gourmet dishes based on high-quality
local produce.
As an Italian, I have always been fascinated by that sort of a soup made with beer, called øllebrød, which I saw in one of my favorite films, a Danish drama based on a novel by Karen Blixen called "Babette's Feast". Babette, the main character, is a French chef who, escaping repression of the early 19th century Paris, arrives to a remote and isolated Danish village by the coast where, during most of her stay working as a maid for a pair of elderly, benevolent Protestant sisters, she daily prepares this specialty of the local peasant cookery.
Øllebrød is a traditional Danish dish - a type of porridge made of rye bread scraps and beer, typically hvidtøl (a kind of light ale), originating from monastic living, when monks would dip their bread into hot beer.
Therefore we will go to Denmark on a quest, looking for Danes willing to reveal their recipe and share their secrets with us, and while we are at it, who knows, we even might get lucky to taste a smoked herring, another delicacy from Northern Europe.
As an Italian, I have always been fascinated by that sort of a soup made with beer, called øllebrød, which I saw in one of my favorite films, a Danish drama based on a novel by Karen Blixen called "Babette's Feast". Babette, the main character, is a French chef who, escaping repression of the early 19th century Paris, arrives to a remote and isolated Danish village by the coast where, during most of her stay working as a maid for a pair of elderly, benevolent Protestant sisters, she daily prepares this specialty of the local peasant cookery.
Øllebrød is a traditional Danish dish - a type of porridge made of rye bread scraps and beer, typically hvidtøl (a kind of light ale), originating from monastic living, when monks would dip their bread into hot beer.
Therefore we will go to Denmark on a quest, looking for Danes willing to reveal their recipe and share their secrets with us, and while we are at it, who knows, we even might get lucky to taste a smoked herring, another delicacy from Northern Europe.
