: ME LAND E H A L T ZE
Photo: Nordic Food Lab
CIA ES IN E SP TERI A PE O T
The gastronomic promised land If nouveau Nordic cuisine is the word on everyone’s lips – and, as it were, the taste in everyone’s mouths – Danish food is right up there with the cream of the crop. With Copenhagen’s two Michelin-starred Noma Restaurant having been ranked the best restaurant in the world four times since 2010, Zealand-based restaurateurs are riding on a wave of confidence and media praise – and for good reason. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: VisitDenmark
From the often rye-based smørrebrød to the fresh-to-the-minute fish from surrounding waters, Danish cuisine is not just a feast for the tastebuds, but a real health course as well. Add a quick Akvavit or a glass of bitter, and the simplest of suppers can feel like a real treat. But while the Danes are proud to keep old cooking techniques from the late 19th century alive, gastronomic pioneers such as René Redzepi, co-owner of the afore-
64 | Issue 67 | August 2014
mentioned best restaurant in the world, are breaking new ground with innovative food projects including Nordic Food Lab, bringing everything from moth mousse and cricket broth to roasted locusts to your plate. A trip to Zealand, needless to say, comes with an array of food options suitable for the most conservative tastes as well as the experimental food snobs. Scan Maga-
zine discovered a fishmonger with locallysourced delicacies as well as herring and other fish from Jylland; a local’s haunt in a fishing village with an open sandwich specialty called Stjerneskud (or shooting star); a restaurant frequented by royals, occasionally spoiling its guests with a taste of zebra or kangaroo; and an eatery producing some of the most-loved, nicestsmelling rye bread in Denmark. And that is just the beginning. Indeed, if you want to do it like the Danes, opt for fish, and plenty of it. But why limit yourself? Do your research well before visiting this gastronomic promised land – because there are hidden gems you just do not want to miss.