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Traditional Danish Food: 'Store Kolde Bord' Lunch and Christmas Dinner

© Britt Koch Franczek-Pedersen

Even though Denmark today offers a variety of international food, the traditional Danish kitchen is still very much alive.

Traditional Danish Lunch - 'Store Kolde Bord'

Traditional Danish lunch is called ‘det store kolde bord’. It is typically served on holidays, or at large get-togethers.

A traditional ‘store kolde bord’ has three rounds of food. First comes herring, in different sauces such as curry, Madeira, vinegar, garlic, sour crème, mustard, etc. You eat the herring on ‘rugbrød’ - a dark rye bread - and you drink cold beer and Snaps with it.

After the herring you, sample various meat dishes such as liver pate, meat roulade, meat dumplings, roast beef and salami, served with beetroot, pickled pumpkin, etc. There will also be, shrimp, chicken salad, and perhaps fresh green salads.

The ‘store kolde bord’ ends with cheese: sharp, mild, garlic crème cheese, or crème cheese with spices, nuts, and cognac. This course comes with radish and green bell pepper, served with Rugbrød and white bread and crackers. The ‘store kolde bord’ can also consist of many more food items, such as meat and vegetable pies or pasta.

Danish Dinners and Christmas Meals

A traditional Danish dinner dish is pork and veal meatballs. Meatballs are typically served with white potatoes and brown gravy. Ham with steamed vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and peas served with white potatoes and melted butter is another common dinner.

Christmas dinner has a traditional dish too. Many eat it only once a year. For most Danes, it is roast duck filled with prunes and apple, served with sweetened steamed red cabbage, sugar glazed and regular while potatoes, and duck gravy. Other favoured Christmas dinners are pork roast or glazed ham, served with the same sides.

Dessert on Christmas Eve is a porridge called Ris A la’Mande, made of rice cooked with milk, sugar, vanilla, and chopped almonds. The cook hides a whole almond in this dessert, and the person who finds it wins a prize.

Modern Danish Cooking

Today, Danes serve a mixed salad or vegetables with their meals. Pasta is also a favoured food item. Danes love to experiment with food items from all over the world.

There are many vegetarians in Denmark, and specialty stores fulfill every need: vegetable and fruit stores, bakeries, eco-friendly stores, butchers, fresh fish stores, etc. You can find a store for everything you might need.