onsdag den 4. februar 2009

my true love


  • you have been to denmark
  • you have been to a little denmark
  • you are my friend
  • you have a danish friend that bakes
if none of the above is true, i'm pretty sure that you haven't tasted this. it's filled with magic and lasers and... well, seeds. dense, moist, nutty, with only slightest hint of sourdough. it's not russian rye and certainly not the jewish kind which i have bitter memories of eating in new york when there was nothing else in the fridge and no money in my pocket. maybe you've seen something similar called pumpernickle bread; the staple of a host/hostess' party pantry. nope, that's german. and any dane will tell you that the danish bread is the original and leagues better.

i almost cried when i couldn't find any danish rye in stockholm.

the first time i tried it was also when i met my dane's parents. they visited us at our apartment in copenhagen. up to the fourth floor they carried big care packages for their son and one contained breakfast breads and cheeses. and of course included was a small loaf of rugbrød. i must have eaten at least 3 slices that morning, which is surprising since it contains so much fiber. since then, a loaf has always been on my shopping list. though my dane and i will argue the proper thickness, a slice of rugbrød (rye bread) is a constant of smørrebrød (buttered bread). i've enjoyed a number of toppings both traditional and what i would call fusion, but the dane would call train wreck. no, i have not been to ida davidsen yet even though everyone and their mom has recommended it to me. maybe i will go when i get tired of my own combinations.



this particular loaf is from føtex and i think it's the same kind i brought to california for my december visit. though my bag was opened and searched by customs, both loaves made it safely to my parents' fridge. one was used at the kinda-sorta julefrokost (christmas lunch) i threw for my friends which we enjoyed with cream cheese and salmon, mackerel, cucumbers, avocados, radishes, hummus, and also-from-my-suitcase pålægschokolade (literally, put-on chocolate) to top the slices of rye. the other loaf is probably still sitting in the freezer. hey mom! eat that rugbrød! i'm always so sad when the time comes to toss the last chunk that's starting to mold. ):



my current favourite breakfast is a soft-boiled egg on rye to soak up all the yolk. and of course a cup of really good coffee.

and someday i will bake my very own rugbrød!

1 kommentar:

Anonym sagde ...

Yumm, I don't have many good food memories from Denmark, I do miss rugbrød.