Denmark's Constitution Day

Time to celebrate another ethnic holiday—and this times it’s another Scandinavian country—Denmark! Constitution Day is June 5 and is traditionally celebrated at a picnic on the Sunday closest to that date.

The Danes’ food customs and styles are very similar to those of Norway and Sweden; but there is subtle sense—portrayed by the Danes themselves—that their’s is a bit more refined and displays a certain elegance of style a cut above the others. That may be attributed to the circumstances of immigration to America which were generally devoid of the poverty and serious adversity of the other immigrations. Or, perhaps, it is just the usual rivalry found among the descendents of these countries.

Because of the numbers of immigrants from Norway, Sweden and Finland, Danish cuisine has a lower profile; nevertheless there are many dishes distinctively Danish that abound. Danish pastry is the one that most people think of—it is so delicious and universally liked. I am not talking about what passes for “Danish” in some places, but the real thing, made with several rollings of the butter-laden dough which appeared in an earlier column. Less common is the Danish aebleskiver. Aebleskiver require specially designed, cast iron, skillet-like pans with seven cup-shaped wells into which a dollop of rich batter is dropped, cooked briefly on the top of the stove and (sometimes) filled with a skiver (sliver) of apple or a spoonful of applesauce.

Perhaps another reason for the Danish “food snobbery” is because of their demand for an exceptionally high quality of ingredients. And the service or presentation is very important to the Danes. The menu for Syttende Mai is almost identical to the menu that is common for Denmark’s Constitution Day: Smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches) in dozens of varieties, herring, kringler, kransekage (the multi-ringed almond paste cake) topped with Danish flags, beer, akvavit and, of course, coffee. Oh yes, and the famous cream cake, blodtkake—Danish style. But the care taken in the preparation and presentation of the smorrebrod sets them apart from all others.

The smorrebrod are the Dane’s real claim to culinary fame. They have a certain protocol surrounding the creation and the eating. All components must be thinly sliced. The bread must have a minimum of crust and any crust that doesn’t comply will be cut off. The butter is then spread thinly to the very edges of the bread.

The combination of the ingredients on top of the bread is proscribed rather restrictedly and even the order in which they are eaten is determined by custom: herring and fish; chicken or egg salad; meats, pate, sausages and frikadeller (meatballs); and finally cheeses, with Havarti, bleu and Camembert the most commonly used. Most importantly,
Danish open-face sandwiches must never be eaten by hands but with silver utensils.

If you are artistic and a real gourmand, you may want to give these beautiful, delicious but labor-intensive sandwiches a try. I began mine with authentic bread, used for the majority of the sandwiches. White bread is for shrimp, salmon and cheese.

Danish Pumpernickel Rye Bread (Dansk Rugbrod)

1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
¼ cup molasses
1 Tbsp. salt
¼ cup butter
3 ¾ cups medium rye flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 ½ to 2 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Set aside. Heat buttermilk to 105-115 degrees over moderate heat. Add molasses, salt and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add dissolved yeast. Add rye and whole-wheat flours, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Gradually add all-purpose flour, stirring in small amounts until dough can be turned out on lightly floured board and kneaded. May need to add more flour during kneading process. Knead on floured surface for 7-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl and lightly grease top of dough. Allow to rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. Punch dough down well. Grease pans with shortening and shape dough into 1 long loaf or 2 smaller loaves. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in bulk or until dough is just a little higher than sides of pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour. Check bread. If it sounds hollow when rapped, remove from oven. May need up to 15 additional minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on baking rack. Cut in thin slices.

The list of toppings ranges from smoked eel, flaked crab, raw steak, specially made cold meat loaves, sausages, hard-cooked eggs and a myriad of cheeses. Garnishes are crucial; nearly anything goes and the cook’s imagination is the only limit; the most common are lemon twists, aspic, beet pickles, bacon, cucumber, grapes, mandarin oranges, capers, pickled onions, and the almost always included parsley. Let Sunday be a salute to the Danes!