An ode to smørrebrød

Lots of smørrebrød on a yellow background.

Photographs: Hallernes Smørrebrød / Restaurant Værdsat / VisitOdense

Text: Heather Storgaard

Smørrebrød: as simple as an open-topped sandwich? No! The humble yet mighty smørrebrød is one of my favourite parts of Danish culinary traditions. The term smørrebrød means an open-topped sandwich with a base of rye bread and, particular, traditional combinations of toppings.

The history behind the smørrebrød

Smør means butter, and brød means bread. So far, so easy. The tradition of smørrebrød, though, developed in Denmark in the 1880s. Frokostsmørrebrød, lunch butter-breads, to be literal, are the common kind you may eat at offices or in casual cafes for a quick lunch. But the art really comes out when smørrebrød is served as a sit-down lunch with knife and fork. The offerings in such circumstances have particular names with their own histories, such as Sol over Gudhjem, a decorated smoked fish offering named after Gudhjem on Bornholm or Dyrlægens natmad, the vet’s midnight snack, made with chicken liver pate and salted meat.

Smørrebrødsjomfru

A tongue twister on top of more Danish? No, a Smørrebrødsjomfru was a trained, certified smørrebrød specialist, typically a woman with many years of experience in hospitality. Other terms in the Danish restaurant world include smørrebrødsassistent, smørrebrødschef, smørrebrødsdame and smørrebrødsmedhjælper. Clearly, smørrebrød is at the heart of Danish food. There have even been smørrebrød dynasties, such as Oskar Davidsen and his descendants. Oskar (1859 – 1920) is credited with popularising the food outside of Denmark, and the closure of the 5-generation Davidsen smørrebrød restaurant in 2021 was one of the saddest pandemic losses in the country.

When at home

My husband grew up in the middle of nowhere. His parents were very alternative, vegetarian and grew or produced a lot of their own food. It’s safe to say they didn’t adhere to many of Denmark’s strict social rules. This means that he now has no clue how to construct smørrebrød when we’re invited to eat at friends’ houses. I am given a little bit of leeway by virtue of being foreign, but have diligently learnt how to construct these little delights. My husband has not. He piles all sorts of toppings onto his rye bread, forgets which spread matches and suffers many a dirty look in the process. At this point, I wonder if he’s demonstrating his dual citizenship via smørrebrød faux pas!

"A Smørrebrødsjomfru was a trained, certified smørrebrød specialist, typically a woman who had many years of experience in hospitality."

A picture of a smørrebrød with lots of different toppings on a blue plate.

Copenhagen style

My real introduction to smørrebrød in style came from my husband’s uncle, Lars. He lives just over from Kastellet, in a short walking distance from many charming smørrebrød restaurants. Our most frequented over the years have included Café Petersborg, Toldbod Bodega and Restaurant Kastellet. I’m not sure what they think when a Danish-ish extended family, spanning seven decades and four languages, arrives. I bonded with the Danish inability to comprehend the existence of fluent, non-native speakers with a half-French cousin at Petersborg, enjoying my regular Stjerneskud. We laughed over shared experiences and the strange placement of Danish-ish families in the country. At Restaurant Kastellet, I learnt the definition of a ‘fornuftig’ aquavit, which means reasonable or sensible, in this case, meaning large. There’s something beautiful about acting out this very Danish, regimented tradition in an international-Danish family.

Take a tour

Ebeltoft - Lundbergs Spisehus at Maltfabrikken is a casual but high-quality eating spot in my local seaside resort. They serve a selection of basic smørrebrød, perfect for a quick lunch before you stuff yourself with ice cream and the town’s famous flødeboller.

Copenhagen – the original home of the smørrebrød. I must admit only to have tried the stops as mentioned above in a close radius to my husband’s uncle’s apartment! Hallernes Smørrebrød is a popular stop at Tivoli, and more modern options can also be found throughout the city during lunchtime.

Odense – I am taking my very first trip to Odense this spring! It’s long overdue. My dad visits regularly, though and fell in love with smørrebrød at Restaurant Værdsat.