Smørrebrød
Smørrebrød, smørbrød "butter bread", or smörgås "butter goose", is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisines of Denmark, Norway and Sweden that usually consists of a piece of buttered rugbrød topped with commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes.
Bread
Bread is a very important part of the Scandinavian diet, primarily rugbrød, which is sourdough rye bread. It is a dark, heavy bread which is often bought sliced, in varieties from light-coloured rye to very dark, and from refined to whole-grain. Some toppings are served on franskbrød, a very light, crusty wheat bread. The bread is usually buttered, though for some variants, a spread of lard is customary.Toppings
Traditional toppings include pickled herring, slightly sweeter than Dutch or German herring; thinly sliced cheese in many varieties; sliced cucumber, tomato and boiled eggs; pork liver-paste; dozens of types of cured or processed meat in thin slices, or smoked fish such as salmon; mackerel in tomato sauce; pickled cucumber; boiled egg, and rings of red onion. Mayonnaise mixed with peas, sliced boiled asparagus and diced carrot, called italiensk salat, remoulade or other thick sauces often top the layered open sandwich, which is usually eaten with utensils. It is customary to pass the dish of sliced bread around the table, and then to pass around each dish of toppings, from which people help themselves.More festive meals can be loosely divided into courses: fish toppings first followed by cold cuts and salads, and finally cheese with bread or crackers and fruit. One or several warm dishes are often served with the meats on special occasions, such as breaded plaice filet, fried Medisterpølse sausage, frikadeller with pickled red cabbage, or mørbradbøf. Toppings change with the seasons and some are mostly associated with Easter or Christmas lunches, like head cheese and æbleflæsk. Summer offers lighter fare such as smoked mackerel, sommersalat, new potatoes, and freshly peeled shrimp.
Hundreds of combinations and varieties of smørrebrød are available, and some traditional examples include:
- Dyrlægens natmad – on a piece of dark rye bread, a layer of liver pâté, topped with a slice of salt beef and a slice of meat aspic. This is all garnished with raw onion rings and garden cress.
- Eel – smoked eel on dark rye bread, topped with scrambled eggs and sliced radishes or chopped chives.
- Leverpostej – warm rough-chopped liver pâté served on dark rye bread, topped with bacon, and sautéed mushrooms.
- Roast beef – thinly sliced and served on dark rye bread, topped with a portion of remoulade, and decorated with a sprinkling of shredded horseradish and toasted onion.
- Eggs and prawns – Thin slices of egg and prawns on either rye bread or white bread topped with tomato, mayonnaise, and lemon, and garnished with garden cress.
- Roast pork – thinly sliced and served on dark rye bread, topped with red sweet and sour cabbage and thinly sliced pickles and garnished with a slice of orange.
- Salmon – slices of cold-smoked salmon or gravlax on white bread, topped with shrimp and garnished with a slice of lemon and fresh dill.
- Spiced meat roll – thin-sliced cold cut, garnished with a thick slice of sky, raw onion rings and garden cress.
- Julmacka – a Christmas sandwich made from the leftovers of a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner, or julbord; common ingredients include Swedish meatballs, Swedish Christmas ham, and.
- Stjerneskud – on a base of buttered white bread, two pieces of fish: a piece of steamed white fish on one half, a piece of fried, battered plaice on the other half. On top is piled a mound of shrimp, which is then garnished with a dollop of mayonnaise, red caviar, and a lemon slice.
- Tartar – raw lean beef mince with salt and pepper, served on dark rye bread, topped with raw onion rings, grated horseradish and a raw egg yolk.
Literature
- Katrine Klinken, Smørrebrød – Danish open, Thaning & Appel, 2008.
- Ida Davidsen and Mia Davidsen, Open your heart to the Danish open... the Davidsen dynasty and their best recipes, Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2006..
- Inge Lotz, Danish open sandwiches, Aschehoug Fakta, 1997..
- Troelsø, Ole, Smørrebrød i Danmark - Stederne, stykkerne og historien, København: Forlaget Lucullus,.