Christmas should be seen as the alternative high season for visitors, with so many traditional dishes and activities unique to Danish culture. However, visiting Denmark to try a typical Danish Christmas dinner may be a valid reason on its own…
Having a peek inside the average Danish kitchen on December 24, you will most often be met by the lovely smell of caramel glazed potatoes, roast pork, duck, and red cabbage with red currant jelly. This is typically followed by the creamy rice dessert, “Ris à l’amande”, topped with cherry sauce. The dessert is at the same time a fun game for all, as one whole almond is left unchopped in this almond-based dish, waiting to be found by one lucky person – who then receives a gift, the so-called “almond present”.
Danes spend a lot of time at the table during Christmas; traditional “Christmas lunches” can be experienced already in November, where the same dishes may be served along with Danish “smørrebrød” – traditional open sandwiches – usually accompanied by one-too-many Christmas brews and homemade “snaps” – a wide variety of bitters infused with tasty spices such as cardamom, orange, vanilla and cinnamon. “Skål!”… Cheers, as we say in Danish 😉