Seasonal Eating

For most Danes December is a very important month for food. We go to fabulous ‘Christmas lunches’ hosted by work, friends or family. To start, there are open sandwiches topped with fish, such as herrings, followed by warm toppings such as frikadeller (meatballs), leverpostej (liver pâté) or flæskesteg (roast pork). These ‘lunches’ start around 6pm and go on well into the night. With the beer and aquavit flowing freely all evening, the end result is often minimal recollection of conversation!

It’s not just at Christmas that we celebrate with food, such as flæskesteg, or Christmas duck. In many homes, and without fail in my grandparents’ house, New Year’s Eve is always celebrated with baked or steamed cod with mustard sauce and beetroot.