american foodstuffs in copenhagen

i know i've already written a short guide to the city but i've been meeting a lot of homesick americans both online and in person lately and they all seem to be looking for similar things. i feel like i can help you guys out here! are you looking for:

beans
supermarket doesn't carry the sort of beans you're looking for? take a walk down nørrebrogade, where i recommend the best indian shop in town, dhadra, and grocers located between runddel and nørrebro station. you should also look around the reventlowsgade side of the central station, where i recommend afghan and kabul market. they have beans both dried and canned. yes, black beans too. (:

'exotic' fruit and veg
aubergine (thai, japanese, chinese, pea), banana leaf, banana peppers, bitter melon, bok choy, cassava, chipotles (only canned), fresh curry leaves, daikon radish, galangal, jackfruit (young is fresh in slices or canned, ripe is only canned), lemongrass, long bean, lotus root and leaf, mangosteen, okra, pandan leaf, sweet potato, tamarind, fresh turmeric, wolfberries. i have seen them all at one point or another in various green grocers, especially those by the central station. doesn't hurt to ask the shopkeeper if you can't find what you're looking for, they are usually quite nice people.

soy milk
it can get pretty expensive buying soy milk since it's always organic here! my favourite brand comes from aldi. it has no added sugar, getting its natural sweetness from fermented rice. not only is it the best-tasting, it's also the cheapest at 9,99kr per liter. however, because of the sweetness this may not be a milk substitute that you'd want to mix into your savoury dishes; i only use it for baking, tea and cereal.


peanut butter
in a pinch, you can find it at abigail's or any of the bigger supermarkets for 30+kr. but i suggest you keep an eye on the weekly circulars. usually i pick up 350g jars of organic peanut butter for 12-15kr when they're on sale at netto or rema1000. i know i get gawked at when i'm rolling up to the cash register with 5 jars of them, but don't ever try to separate me from my peanut butter if you value your limbs.

condensed soups
i know those of you who are searching for these are most likely going to use them in casseroles or as the base for another soup... right?! you're not going to just eat it plain! anyway, it's not in my place to judge... sometimes they go on sale (see above for shop circulars) but you can almost always find them at abigail's, along with betty crocker cake mixes and ciders.

canned pumpkin puree
though i highly recommend you roast and puree your own pumpkins, it's quite an undertaking and maybe you don't have time/room for it. i've heard larger superbest stores has an american section where you can find pumpkin puree but if you can't find it there, try abigail's.

mayonnaise
looking for a specific brand of mayo? miracle whip and best foods/hellmans can be found in superbrugsen, kvickly, and metro. the latter is a card-only warehouse sort of like costco or sam's club back in the states. you must be a business owner to get a card or grab a friend who has one. they also have a good selection of hard-to-find liquor (like palatable tequila) and they also have an in-store fishmonger and butcher. but again, try making your own at home; it's so much better!

booze
missing american beers? øl bar in nørrebro is a fan of serving up microbrews from across the pond. you could also try your luck at den tatoverede enke, but if you can't find a specific american brew, there's plenty of other amazing beers to choose from in that bar. for drinking at home, check out my favourite kihoskh. if you're longing for budweiser, stop reading my blog NOW. ):


cuts of meat
if you look in any supermarket here, there is normally a smaller variety of cuts (unless there's an in-store butcher) available than you may be used to in the states. but there are plenty of butchers around town that can help you out there. my favourite is the guldberg butcher, who only sells local, free-range meat and organic chickens. the chart above should also help you visually identify the parts you want. (:

dips
looking for a tub of sour cream and some onion and garlic powder to concoct your own dip for chips or veg? sour cream doesn't exist here but crème fraiche tastes almost the same, just a bit less sour. garlic powder i've been able to find in little bags at green grocers in nørrebro and vesterbro. onion powder has been spotted at superbrugsen.

coffee
copenhagen has both good beans and bad. you can find fairtrade coffee in almost any supermarket and you can get direct trade coffee freshly brewed at estate or coffee collective. but if you're looking for a seattle style dark roast, the only option i've been able to find is the lonely starbucks in the airport.

sodas
gotta get your root beer or cream soda fix? these flavours aren't very popular with the locals, but you can find them if you look. occasionally they go on sale (see circulars) or you might be able to find them in middle eastern or indian green grocers. dr. pepper has also been found at kihoskh, the best damn kiosk i've ever been to.



if you have looked and looked and simply cannot find what you're looking for, why not take a trip to malmø? you can either take a car over the toll bridge or get there faster by train. going by bus takes an hour but it's very cheap, especially if you take a day trip (dagstur) and even cheaper if you are 29 and under or 60 and over. groceries there will be a bit cheaper and swedish supermarkets ica and coop generally have more variety than their danish counterparts. still can't find it? try their bigger stores, ica maxi and coop extra. vegans and vegetarians, don't miss a trip to astrid och aporna; it has pretty much everything your widdle heart desires.

for other things, here are some websites that ship to denmark.

food from home - british and american food. chocolate chips!
iherb - vitamins, gluten-free baking goods, nut butters

this is just a food blog; for other tips on denmark, check out this page.

if there's something you're searching for or already found, feel free to write me in the comments and i can add it to the list or start a hunt for it. (:

torvehallerne

FINALLY. copenhagen has its own market hall; something that appears in almost every other major city in the world. århus has bazar vest, but the capital city has been missing one for ages. ever since i first saw that eyesore of a construction site on the way to nørreport station, i've been dreaming of the day it would open.


i managed to put it off for 2 days after opening before giving in to my anxiousness and braving the market. the first thing that i noticed was how ugly the exteriors looked. glass all around, turning the halls into humid greenhouses that would not be pleasant in the summer. tacky drawings of fruits and vegetables, the likes of which one might see on a coffee mug from a discount store. and it was so crowded that i couldn't really enjoy it for long.






however, the little i did see of the market drew mixed feelings from me. on the one hand, hall 1 was everything i had anticipated; fresh clear-eyed fish, lovely runny cheeses, spices, takeaways, biodynamic vegetables. the smells and sights took me back to the farmers markets of california, the fish market in venice, borough market in london. to be honest, it was hard to believe i was still in copenhagen.


hall 2 was mainly just stalls that already had established their brick-and-mortar shops somewhere else in the city. agnes cupcakes, for instance, has a location in the city center which is infamous for selling out of cupcakes quickly. coffee collective's shop in nørrebro doesn't offer much seating but you have a shot at a couple benches here at the market. while i can understand the reasoning behind this hall, it doesn't really interest me and is not what i think of when i hear the phrase "food market."


as a young market it has so much potential. the prices of raw ingredients like produce and meat were fair and hopefully this place will inspire copenhageners and tourists alike that food doesn't have to be just fuel. i'll definitely be back many times (once the crowds die down) to visit the fishmongers, the spice man, and now i know where to get a duck confit sandwich in copenhagen.



torvehallerne
frederiksborggade 21
1360 københavn k
tlf. 70 10 60 70

copenhagen on the cheap

after being asked a handful of times about what to do in denmark, where you can buy soju, and how to get around, i decided to put together a little guide... mina-style! (:

first of all, you need a CPR card (equivalent to a US social security card) to get work, a bank account, etc. so if you don't have that special number, don't even bother asking for a job. no one is willing to pay you under the table with the risk of a fine. secondly, don't expect to be able to use your credit card anywhere unless it has a special chip in it. you'll have to get cash at an automat. lastly, always be prepared for rain! no matter how bright and sunny it is one minute, it could be a downpour the next. ):

getting around:
rejseplanen is a good website to use when you need to use public transport to get somewhere on time. it even alerts you to traffic changes; for example if one station is down, the website will give you an alternate route. findvej is just your basic map.
during the spring and summer, citybikes are put out all over copenhagen. you put in 20kr and when you return the bike, you get the money back. but do not ride these bike outside the city or else you'll get a fine. and take note of the photo in the citybike link! they have a very specific look. don't just pick up any old bike and ride off with it; it belongs to someone! :P

eating:
i've been laughed at for doing this, but because of it i can go out and enjoy myself on the weekends! there are regular catalogs put out for grocery stores and i check them almost every week. it saves quite a bit of money when you compare prices instead of just going into superbrugsen and just buying all your groceries there. check minreklame and see the foodstuffs all the way at the bottom. of course the other catalogs can be useful as well. ^^
green grocers can be a good way to save on produce, spices, and of course more exotic ingredients. they are easily spotted by their wares being displayed outside the shop. there are a lot of good middle eastern grocers in nørrebro and you'll find several asian shops close to the central station facing istedgade. but be friendly and beware; they can rip you off just as well as irma. (;

drinking:
most importantly, it is perfectly okay to drink from the tap. no bottled water needed!
my favourite watering holes are in my neighborhood, but obviously there are some nice places in the rest of copenhagen too. lades kælder is relatively grungy compared to the rest of the upscale nightlife in centrum, but the concerts are intimate and the beers are well-priced! if you can spend a bit more cash, i definitely suggest den tatoverede enke for a great selection of belgian beers. of course christiania is full of great places to hang out with a drink, especially in the summertime.
nørrebro: all you have to do is walk down two specific streets to find a bunch of nice bars. blågårdsgade has props, kate's joint, and of course blågårds apotek. fælledvej boasts gefahrlich and rayeula. further up nørrebrogade you can find drone, which can be a nice bar or a crazy dance party. and a little hidden away is underwood ink, a classy bookbar with good vibes and a great cheese plate.
if you're b.y.o.b then don't forget to recycle your bottles. there's a reason why you have to pay an extra 1kr even though your coke only costs 7kr. inside supermarkets there is usually a machine where you can return your bottles and cans that have this mark. after you have put in all your recyclables, click giv dit bidrag to donate your money to unicef or click pantknappen to keep your money to yourself (you selfish pig!). a receipt will print out and you take it to the cashier. it counts towards any groceries you're buying at the time or you can just get cash.

bonus:
everything is expensive in copenhagen! even a dress at h&m will cost more than the same dress in stockolm. so flea markets are always a good thing. they are plentiful in summertime but you can always find one somewhere.
check out concerts to buy tickets beforehand and maybe you can save a few kroner at the door. soundvenue is a good site to check out who's playing all over denmark.

anything to add? (:

anyone got a cure for bloat?

on tuesday evening the dane and i made pasta for dinner. we wanted to make a nice last meal to share with our swedish roommate who is going to greenland for a month. we swiftly boiled fresh spinach pasta (is it healthier?) and threw together a nice sauce of tomatoes and two types of fresh mushrooms with a touch of creme fraiche. and of course there was a good amount of parmesan we sprinkled on top. our swede is a vegetarian but she knows that fish will probably enter her diet during this trip. i hear a single cucumber costs 45kr there. yikes!

after that meal i started feeling quite bloated. i didn't even eat as much as the dane and the swede but i just felt like a balloon. the feeling has continued through today, despite the fact that i'm eating mostly fruit and vegetable.


yesterday was warm again. this week has been like a lightswitch rave with the clouds shooting over copenhagen and blotting out the sun every other day. not wanting to let this brief sunshine go to waste, the dane and i met between work and had coffee on the steps of the planetarium. i only wanted a couple apples to hold me over before heading back home even though my stomach was grumbling. the dane convinced me to get a sandwich but once i looked in the shop, i couldn't take my eyes off the salad selection. it's too hard for me to resist, don't know why. vinegary salads with lemon and olive oil are my kryptonite i suppose. but alas, the plate was too greedy a serving for me; i could only finish the lemony broccoli and bean salad. yummm~ must duplicate in our kitchen.

this place gets a visit from me about once a week and i couldn't help stopping by before meeting the dane for coffee. i can't find decent tofu anywhere cheaper and the dried mushrooms here are a steal compared to the expensive packages at superbrugsen. they also have an assortment of asian vegetation like bok choy, vaccuum-sealed lotus root, and chinese chives. worth a look if you're around the central station. hopefully the tofu i picked up will help with my abdominal discomfort...

boasam
halmtorvet 2
1700 københavn v

shopping frenzy

okay, maybe not a frenzy. nevertheless i still caught myself buying more things this week/end, with the thought of work potentially on the way. purchases included not just food but actual items that could be used for things not involving consumption. my mind is always on food, how sad... i haven't bought a single piece of clothing or accessory for myself in copenhagen until today; a plain black purse for 15kr at a loppemarked (literally 'fleamarket') full of babyclothes.

it's funny that the dane and i spotted the graffiti on the way to coffee collective to pick up our fix on saturday. even though it had been raining a little bit, the loppemarked by assistens kirkegård was still going (seems like moisture never stops danes from doing anything; i saw a marathon going strong in this afternoon's shower). we immediately latched on to two elephants and ended up buying them on the way back. at 75kr for the pair, i think it was a guiltless impluse buy. they'll soon be bearing flowers to welcome guests into our flat. (:

finally i cooked something! it was pretty fast though. this was my first time preparing bulgur and luckily it was quite easy. i thought it tasted similar to brown rice (meaning: a little boring), so i korean'd it up with kimchi, soya, s&p, and of course a drizzle of sesame oil. it was filling and a quick replacement for brown rice in a cheap bibimbap.