This Saturday I am going home to Newburyport. These 9 months have flown by, and although there is a part of me that cannot wait to walk into Whole Foods, sink my teeth into the spiciest Mexican I can find, or chow down a pint of Coffee Heathbar Crunch, (and see my family and friends, of course!) I feel kind of reluctant to leave Copenhagen. I have learned so much not only about food, but myself as well. I wonder what it will be like taking this new me and placing her back into the place the old me came from. Sometimes I worry that I will feel as though this amazing year never happened. To remedy that situation, I decided to write down some of the things that I have learned/accomplished this year. It is personal proof for me that I did have an amazing, life changing experience, and hopefully looking back at this list when I am home will remind me of the person I have become, and how I can apply these lessons to my old life.
Since this is of course a food blog, I thought I would share some of the food-related lessons/accomplishments with you!
1. I do not, nor will I ever, like lakrids
2. I discovered Danish rugbrod, or rye bread, which is unlike any other bread I have ever tasted before. I also learned how to make it, and my host mom is sending me home with her family's sourdough. So this is a lesson that I can share with you!
3. I can order food, and especially coffee in Danish, without receiving a receipt that blatantly says "TOURIST" at the bottom
4. I can throw back a few shots of schnapps and plates of herring like an old Danish man. Well, maybe not like them, they are pretty bad ass, but you get the general idea.
5. Skål is now an unconscious part of my vocabulary
6. I can say that my favorite part of flæskesteg is the fat. Just wait until Christmas, America.
7. I can tell Danes that unless they do not like aebleskriver, they cannot say that they do not like American pancakes.
8. I will always be putting a random whole almond somewhere in my desserts.
9. Hot dogs with remoulade, ketchup, mustard, pickles, raw and fried onions, and a chocolate milk is a revelation - especially when you are drunk. (Maybe only when you are drunk)
10. Frikadeller is not a term for something that is super cool. Meatballs; however, are pretty awesome. I might start using it as such though, for instance: "You spent a year in Europe? That is so frikadeller!"
11. Cakes can be made of entirely whipped cream. And still be delicious
12. I have found a new appreciation for marzipan
13. I have eaten at the best restaurant in the world - Noma.
14. I have become familiar with several different grape varieties and regions of wine, and can accurately blind taste a lot of them (see last entry)
15. I learned how to perfectly cook a duck breast, nice and medium rare with a crispy skin
16. I cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey - 28 pounds!
17. I learned about olive oil production and what classifies Extra Virgin Olive Oil in each country (it's different depending on the acidity level!)
18. I had a beer made out of cat poo. It was good!
19. I don't like absinthe. It makes you black out
20. I learned about pastry arts in Nice at a 2 Michelin starred restaurant
21. I learned about Provencal cuisine at a 16th century estate in Aix
22. An Italian grandmother and a professional chef in Bologna and Florence taught me how to make fresh pasta
23. Lambrusco rocks
24. Ribolita is my favorite soup
25. You can get too much bratwurst and beer. But German beer, especially in the beer gardens in Munich with a huge pretzel, is divine.
26. The Sacher torte at the Sacher Cafe in Vienna is not that special. Cafe Central or Demel Cafe is much more worth your time
27. I like omelets with honey and goat cheese
28. Belgian beer is my favorite type of beer, especially when you have the choice of 2004 at Delirium!
29. London has the best food markets.
30. Haggis tastes like Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage.
31. Anything can be deep fried. ANYTHING!!
32. It is easy to get 3 complementary beers at the Guinness factory. The real question is - can you drink them all without feeling like you have 3 loaves of bread in your stomach?
33. No one, not even any restaurant in London, can beat the Indian food at Rasoi in Framingham, MA
34. A Danish pastry is a cure for anything that ails you
35. Do not go to the Austrian Alps to eat
36. Danes do not like spicy foods.
37. I am going to keep saying this, because it still amazes me: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HOT FUDGE SUNDAE IN DENMARK!!!!
38. A cheeseburger can be eaten with a knife and fork. I still think you look stupid when you do it though.
I have a feeling that I will be continually adding to this list as time goes on and I think of more things - but food wise, I would say that is a lot to digest!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
My Favorite Class at The Danish Institute of Study Abroad
Today was my last day of classes at DIS, the Danish Institute of Study Abroad. In a week, I will be returning to the states. It feels extremely surreal. Before this year, the longest I had ever spent away from home was 6-8 weeks. Now I have been gone for 9 months. Reflecting on the academic year, there have been some great classes, and a few pretty awful ones, but the best class I took this year, the class that I learned the most in, wasn't actually a class I am going to get credit for. My favorite class was a club. Gastronomy club - to be exact. Shocker.
Gastronomy club, and European wine club second semester, was an event that I always looked forward to during the school year. Each class met 6 times during the semester, consisted of about 18 people, and was a center for people who loved good food, wine, and let's face it - getting a little bit tipsy on a Monday or Thursday night. Taught by the fabulous Ian, I learned more about the world of wine this year than I had from working 3 summers in wine stores. Of course, being able to actually taste the wines helps significantly.
Gastronomy club consisted of tasting 4 wines, usually of a single country, followed by cooking regional dishes to pair with the wines. For instance, one class the focus was Italy, where after learning about a few different regions, such as Veneto, Piemonte, Puglia, and of course, Tuscany, we made fresh pasta, bread, and a few simple sauces. Other classes were all about the food, for example fish, where we paired Rieslings, Chardonnays, and Sauvingnon Blancs with a wide array of seafood.
It was in those classes that I learned mostly about basic grape varieties, their general smells, color, and taste. I was taught that a lot of wine, especially smelling it, is subjective, as our memory makes us pick out certain nuances that others may not notice. While there certainly are a number of fairly ridiculous adjectives to describe "the nose", including leathery, muddled, and my personal favorite; flabby, what may smell like hay to one person could smell like their grandma's backyard to another. In that way, wine tasting is rather personal. In terms of food, I was not really introduced to any new methods of cooking, but Ian bought the best of the best ingredients - foie gras, Muscovoy duck breasts, quail eggs, sushi-grade tuna, making cooking extremely fun, and absolutely delicious.
Gastronomy club prepared me for my whirlwind tour of France and Italy with my mom over the Christmas break. My mom has always been the one to pick the wine, and obviously being older, and at the time, the legal drinker, she would be the one to taste it. That is now no longer the case. During our trip, we chose the wines together, and when the waiter appeared with the bottle, my mom would point to me as the taster. It was with a sense of pride that I sent a bad bottle of wine back in Paris, not letting my still fairly inexperienced nose and palate question the acidic liquid in front of me. I relished in the conversations I had with vineyard owners in Tuscany, who clearly perceived me as someone who knew her stuff, and thus brought out the best of the best for my mom and I to try. I could not wait to return to DIS to start a new semester of wine tasting.
Since the cooking aspect was a lot of work, Ian reduced the class to exclusively wines, calling it "European Wine Club". In each of the 6 classes, we tasted 6 wines, taking a break halfway through for some light snacks such as olives, cheese, pates, and a ton of bread. This class was not just focused on grape varieties, but also the different countries around Europe. We learned to tell the difference between the grapes and wines from France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Spain, and the regions within each of those countries. Each class focused on a certain country, with the exception of a class where we tasted 3 Pinot Noirs, (Ian's favorite, and mine too) before moving onto Spain.
The more I tried, the more clear it became just how different one wine is to the next. Even if it is the same grape variety, something as simple as the vintage can completely change the smell and taste. Wine is not just white or red, it is so, so much more. Call me a dork, or a wine snob, but I think it is the most fascinating beverage. It is a drink with a life - it has a birth, a prime, and eventually, a slow decay. And like you or me, each bottle is somehow different from all the others.
My crowning achievement this year happened last Thursday, our last tasting, where Ian covered all 6 bottles of wine and had us blind taste them. I proceeded to correctly guess the grape, country, and region of all 6 wines. A Colombard and Ugni Blanc from France, (we hadn't had that one before, so I guessed Chablis, Ian said it was close enough!) 100% Chardonnay Champagne, a predominately Cabernet from the left bank of Loire Valley, a French Pinot Noir from Bourgogne, a Barbaresco from Piemonte, and a Tempranillo from Spain. Being able to accurately name all these wines was such an achievement to me, as I could physically see my evolution from knowing little to nothing about wine to quite a bit - probably more than my mom, and maybe even my dad ever did. How many young adults my age can truly say that they can do more than tell the difference between a glass of red or white? Gastronomy and wine club has taught me so much about an area that I knew little about, but had always wanted to know more. It also gave me the tools that I need to continue to expand my knowledge of different countries, regions, and grapes. Thanks, Ian, for a truly fantastic class.
You may think that I am a complete wine snob now, but to tell you the truth - I am looking forward to a glass of 3 buck chuck when I return to the States. Old habits die hard, I guess!
Gastronomy club, and European wine club second semester, was an event that I always looked forward to during the school year. Each class met 6 times during the semester, consisted of about 18 people, and was a center for people who loved good food, wine, and let's face it - getting a little bit tipsy on a Monday or Thursday night. Taught by the fabulous Ian, I learned more about the world of wine this year than I had from working 3 summers in wine stores. Of course, being able to actually taste the wines helps significantly.
Gastronomy club consisted of tasting 4 wines, usually of a single country, followed by cooking regional dishes to pair with the wines. For instance, one class the focus was Italy, where after learning about a few different regions, such as Veneto, Piemonte, Puglia, and of course, Tuscany, we made fresh pasta, bread, and a few simple sauces. Other classes were all about the food, for example fish, where we paired Rieslings, Chardonnays, and Sauvingnon Blancs with a wide array of seafood.
It was in those classes that I learned mostly about basic grape varieties, their general smells, color, and taste. I was taught that a lot of wine, especially smelling it, is subjective, as our memory makes us pick out certain nuances that others may not notice. While there certainly are a number of fairly ridiculous adjectives to describe "the nose", including leathery, muddled, and my personal favorite; flabby, what may smell like hay to one person could smell like their grandma's backyard to another. In that way, wine tasting is rather personal. In terms of food, I was not really introduced to any new methods of cooking, but Ian bought the best of the best ingredients - foie gras, Muscovoy duck breasts, quail eggs, sushi-grade tuna, making cooking extremely fun, and absolutely delicious.
Gastronomy club prepared me for my whirlwind tour of France and Italy with my mom over the Christmas break. My mom has always been the one to pick the wine, and obviously being older, and at the time, the legal drinker, she would be the one to taste it. That is now no longer the case. During our trip, we chose the wines together, and when the waiter appeared with the bottle, my mom would point to me as the taster. It was with a sense of pride that I sent a bad bottle of wine back in Paris, not letting my still fairly inexperienced nose and palate question the acidic liquid in front of me. I relished in the conversations I had with vineyard owners in Tuscany, who clearly perceived me as someone who knew her stuff, and thus brought out the best of the best for my mom and I to try. I could not wait to return to DIS to start a new semester of wine tasting.
Since the cooking aspect was a lot of work, Ian reduced the class to exclusively wines, calling it "European Wine Club". In each of the 6 classes, we tasted 6 wines, taking a break halfway through for some light snacks such as olives, cheese, pates, and a ton of bread. This class was not just focused on grape varieties, but also the different countries around Europe. We learned to tell the difference between the grapes and wines from France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Spain, and the regions within each of those countries. Each class focused on a certain country, with the exception of a class where we tasted 3 Pinot Noirs, (Ian's favorite, and mine too) before moving onto Spain.
The more I tried, the more clear it became just how different one wine is to the next. Even if it is the same grape variety, something as simple as the vintage can completely change the smell and taste. Wine is not just white or red, it is so, so much more. Call me a dork, or a wine snob, but I think it is the most fascinating beverage. It is a drink with a life - it has a birth, a prime, and eventually, a slow decay. And like you or me, each bottle is somehow different from all the others.
My crowning achievement this year happened last Thursday, our last tasting, where Ian covered all 6 bottles of wine and had us blind taste them. I proceeded to correctly guess the grape, country, and region of all 6 wines. A Colombard and Ugni Blanc from France, (we hadn't had that one before, so I guessed Chablis, Ian said it was close enough!) 100% Chardonnay Champagne, a predominately Cabernet from the left bank of Loire Valley, a French Pinot Noir from Bourgogne, a Barbaresco from Piemonte, and a Tempranillo from Spain. Being able to accurately name all these wines was such an achievement to me, as I could physically see my evolution from knowing little to nothing about wine to quite a bit - probably more than my mom, and maybe even my dad ever did. How many young adults my age can truly say that they can do more than tell the difference between a glass of red or white? Gastronomy and wine club has taught me so much about an area that I knew little about, but had always wanted to know more. It also gave me the tools that I need to continue to expand my knowledge of different countries, regions, and grapes. Thanks, Ian, for a truly fantastic class.
You may think that I am a complete wine snob now, but to tell you the truth - I am looking forward to a glass of 3 buck chuck when I return to the States. Old habits die hard, I guess!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I feel special
Today Noma moved from the third best restaurant in the world to the best restaurant in the world, according to the San Pellegrino top 50 restaurants. For those who do not remember, my mom and I had a meal to remember there last December. Now I can say that I have eaten at the best restaurant in the world.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Trashy or Classy? You Decide
I had the chance to return to Bologna during my two week travel break. The food of Bologna is absolutely delicious, it is the food capital of Italy, after all. While I gorged myself on pear and ricotta gelato, perfect thin crust pizzas, and light as air gnocchi in traditional Bolognese sauce, I found that I was most excited about returning to Bologna for one thing - Lambrusco.
Sparkling red wine. Yes, like the kind my mom drank at college parties back in the 70's. What has been considered to be a "trashy" wine by many is an important and cultural beverage to the people of the Emilia-Romagna region of the boot-shaped country. Bolognese people love it - and I have to admit-after trying it for the first time in January, so do I.
Lambrusco has a relatively low alcohol percentage, is fruity, and often has a slight kick to it, reminiscent of cinnamon. One that I had recently reminded me slightly of Big Red chewing gum. Everything that I have learned about wine this year in Europe makes me want to HATE Lambrusco. Fizzy red wine? Where's my Bordeaux or even a nice Sangiovese?
Italians are the first to admit that it is not what most people would consider to be "good wine". In January, my Bolognese guide told me that she once served Lambrusco to a bunch of French guests. BIG mistake. However, she commented that she thought it was light, refreshing, and pleasing to the palate. I cannot help but agree with her, with the added bonus that it is pleasing to the bank account. The average bottle of Lambrusco in a wine shop in Bologna costs 3-4 euros. Now that is cheap!
I suppose Lambrusco is one of those things that you take it for what it is, and not try to compare it to the wines we traditionally associate with "the reds". Lambrusco is a wine, yet it is its own entity. With that in mind, I will pour my glass with gusto, and enjoy my Lambrusco without hesitation. Bravo, Lambrusco!
even though I think Lambrusco is classy, I still don't mind serving it in a plastic cup in my hotel room!
Friday, April 23, 2010
What do you mean, I don't have to eat bangers and mash?!?
In my trip to Dublin, I was expecting Guinness, bangers and mash, Guinness, Irish lamb stew with soda bread, and you guessed it, Guinness. I had all of those things during my 5 day stay, (especially the Guinness - the storehouse museum is really worth the time and money, by the way!) but I realized that Dublin is a lot more than just traditional Irish fare. So while pubs are plentiful and a ridiculously good time, it is easy to give your taste buds a break from the hearty meat and potatoes fare to something a little more refined. You just have to be willing to pay for it.
My friends and I were lucky enough to be in Dublin during the city's "Restaurant Week", where many hot spots have a 3 course prix fix menu for 25 euro. If you are not in Dublin during this time, several restaurants offer "Early Bird" menus, where you can get great food for extremely reduced prices. You just have to eat before 7pm. For my friends and I, 25 euro was still expensive, but we found that we spent just as much in a pub paying for very expensive beers and relatively cheap pub food than spending a night out in a fancier establishment. So for a couple of nights, we went all out.
My first day I reunited with a friend from school I had not seen in almost a year. We decided to celebrate by shelling out for a prix fix meal at Balzac Restaurant on Dawson Street. We were under dressed, but the waitstaff did not seem to care. The offerings for the prix fix meal were extensive, with 5 or 6 different choices for each course. Salads with pear, radicchio, and cashel blue were probably one of the least exciting choices, but it was what I was in the mood for and the flavors of bitter, sweet, and salty, with a crunch from candied walnuts played perfectly off of each other. My entree consisted of sea bass with a surprisingly flavorful sauce of garlic and parsley (I attribute it to LOTS of butter) and a silky carrot puree fulfilled everything I wanted in a fish dish. My friend's duck leg with potato and cherry and red wine reduction was also delicious. Usually dessert is my least favorite part of the meal, but Balzac surprised us with a lemon pot-de-creme with warm from the oven madelines for blissful dipping. We spent over 3 hours at Balzac, a clearly French restaurant influenced by local Irish ingredients, and had an amazing time at this unexpected Dublin find.
It was not just the fine dining establishments that offered alternatives to Irish pub fare. Every type of food from Chinese to kabobs to a fantastic burger at Gourmet Burger Co. can be found in Dublin. My friend and I enjoyed a few generous glasses of wine (a 1/4th bottle per glass) at a highly stocked wine bar in Temple Bar called Olesya's. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and more than willing to let you sample several wines until you find the exact vintage you are craving. Along with an artisan Irish cheese plate, it was the perfect light meal and end to the day my friend and I were looking for (until we decided to go see "The Blindside" and brought a bottle of pinot noir with us. Classy? The Irish sitting around us thought so).
My favorite spot though was this bakery and cafe called "Queen of Tarts", where homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches on homemade bread were served in generous portions and at decent prices. My ham and gruyere on a soft foccacia was chock full of cheese and extremely flavorful, and the perfectly dressed side salad balanced out the heaviness of sandwich. Of course by the name, Queen of Tarts is famous for its desserts. Massive portions of chocolate cake, beautiful tarts in every flavor imaginable, and cookies the size of bread plates coming right out of the oven made every patron's mouth water, and completely defenseless to temptation. I enjoyed an epically large piece of carrot cake, with the perfect amount of cream cheese frosting and a fantastic moist crumb. Queen of Tarts was a great way to spend our last afternoon in a rainy Dublin.
I am not saying that you should not go to the pubs in Dublin. In fact, I highly recommend it (the Literary Pub Crawl is especially fun). You meet the most friendly and fascinating people there, all of whom are ready and willing to share their life story with you - and not much is better than a great hearty dish and a large beer. However, if you are in Dublin for more than a few days, it is fun to explore what else this surprisingly foodie city has to offer. And trust me, it is quite a bit!
My friends and I were lucky enough to be in Dublin during the city's "Restaurant Week", where many hot spots have a 3 course prix fix menu for 25 euro. If you are not in Dublin during this time, several restaurants offer "Early Bird" menus, where you can get great food for extremely reduced prices. You just have to eat before 7pm. For my friends and I, 25 euro was still expensive, but we found that we spent just as much in a pub paying for very expensive beers and relatively cheap pub food than spending a night out in a fancier establishment. So for a couple of nights, we went all out.
My first day I reunited with a friend from school I had not seen in almost a year. We decided to celebrate by shelling out for a prix fix meal at Balzac Restaurant on Dawson Street. We were under dressed, but the waitstaff did not seem to care. The offerings for the prix fix meal were extensive, with 5 or 6 different choices for each course. Salads with pear, radicchio, and cashel blue were probably one of the least exciting choices, but it was what I was in the mood for and the flavors of bitter, sweet, and salty, with a crunch from candied walnuts played perfectly off of each other. My entree consisted of sea bass with a surprisingly flavorful sauce of garlic and parsley (I attribute it to LOTS of butter) and a silky carrot puree fulfilled everything I wanted in a fish dish. My friend's duck leg with potato and cherry and red wine reduction was also delicious. Usually dessert is my least favorite part of the meal, but Balzac surprised us with a lemon pot-de-creme with warm from the oven madelines for blissful dipping. We spent over 3 hours at Balzac, a clearly French restaurant influenced by local Irish ingredients, and had an amazing time at this unexpected Dublin find.
It was not just the fine dining establishments that offered alternatives to Irish pub fare. Every type of food from Chinese to kabobs to a fantastic burger at Gourmet Burger Co. can be found in Dublin. My friend and I enjoyed a few generous glasses of wine (a 1/4th bottle per glass) at a highly stocked wine bar in Temple Bar called Olesya's. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and more than willing to let you sample several wines until you find the exact vintage you are craving. Along with an artisan Irish cheese plate, it was the perfect light meal and end to the day my friend and I were looking for (until we decided to go see "The Blindside" and brought a bottle of pinot noir with us. Classy? The Irish sitting around us thought so).
My favorite spot though was this bakery and cafe called "Queen of Tarts", where homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches on homemade bread were served in generous portions and at decent prices. My ham and gruyere on a soft foccacia was chock full of cheese and extremely flavorful, and the perfectly dressed side salad balanced out the heaviness of sandwich. Of course by the name, Queen of Tarts is famous for its desserts. Massive portions of chocolate cake, beautiful tarts in every flavor imaginable, and cookies the size of bread plates coming right out of the oven made every patron's mouth water, and completely defenseless to temptation. I enjoyed an epically large piece of carrot cake, with the perfect amount of cream cheese frosting and a fantastic moist crumb. Queen of Tarts was a great way to spend our last afternoon in a rainy Dublin.
I am not saying that you should not go to the pubs in Dublin. In fact, I highly recommend it (the Literary Pub Crawl is especially fun). You meet the most friendly and fascinating people there, all of whom are ready and willing to share their life story with you - and not much is better than a great hearty dish and a large beer. However, if you are in Dublin for more than a few days, it is fun to explore what else this surprisingly foodie city has to offer. And trust me, it is quite a bit!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Burrow your nose in Borough Market
"I just hated what I was doing, but I always loved to cook, and I knew this recipe was awesome".
That was a common phrase I heard when walking around London's famous Borough Markets. Located on the Thames near London Bridge, the market has been around since the 13th century, although the establishment that it is today was founded just over a decade ago. Filled with producers and importers from all over the UK and the world, it is the largest and coolest food market I have ever been to.
What makes Borough so awesome is not just the endless stalls of baked goods, preserves, meats, wines, and dozens of international specialties, it is the people behind the product. Their passion and knowledge of great food is infectious, and the stories they have behind their personal products are so fascinating that it is easy to go home with a new friend. If nothing else - some new friends for your pantry.
Take this one guy - we'll call him "Mushroom Man" - selling his family's recipe for a Wild Mushroom pate. His sister, a former finance adviser got tired of dealing with budgets with companies, so she decided to create a budget for selling her family's favorite appetizer. That was four years ago. Now with a stall at Borough, her brother Mushroom Man enthusiastically spreads the pate on fresh bread, giving passerby's not one, but two or three generous samples. Mushroom Man avidly talked about the ingredients used, the story behind the pate, and all the different ways it could be used. The pate, a mixture of herbs, raw cheese, and of course mushrooms, could easily be stuffed inside a chicken breast, melted on top of a steak, or spread on some baguette, like it was for us. Of course I realize that the enthusiasm is all in part to get you to buy the product, but it did not feel that way. This was not the usual corny sales-man pitch, Mushroom Man let the product speak for itself. Even if you could not buy it because your luggage was already too heavy, like mine was, he still happily spread some more on a baguette, and told me to enjoy it.
I ran into many more Mushroom Mans as I wandered the stalls of Borough. Whether it was Spanish chorizo, farm-fresh goat cheese, homemade granola, or this dynamite Thai green curry fish stew, the owners shelled out samples, and if you wanted to hear it, narratives of their product. The same was true of importers, mainly wine and beer carriers from a select few countries. Their knowledge of wine regions within a certain country was unfathomable, I doubt that anyone could stump them with a question. Beer lovers could look endlessly at the shelves holding hundreds of beers I have never heard of before, but I am sure that the importer has tasted them all. By the end of the morning, I was so stuffed with new knowledge, ideas, and food - and I did not pay a single pence.
It was amazing being in a place where everyone around you cares as much about good food as I do. If I lived in London, I am sure that the vast majority of my savings would be poured into Borough Market. If you are ever in London, you should really check it out. It is such a neat spot in such a fascinating city - and of course, you get lots of free samples!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The journey of making Danish rugbrod
It is the epitome of Danish cuisine: rugbrod, or rye bread. A tradition centuries old, this hearty, seedy, sourdough-based bread is a staple like a loaf of Wonderbread in an American home. While you may think that you have tried rye bread before, it is probably nothing like what I have been consuming daily for the past 7 months. Rye bread is not white bread with brown flecks of rye flour that you get in your diner breakfast or pastrami sandwich. Danish rye bread is dense, extremely moist, and so filling that you will not be hungry for hours, which of course was the original intention. There is nothing like Danish rye bread in the States, so obviously I had to learn how to make it before returning home in May.
My family generally buys their bread from the local bakery called Emmery's, a beautiful store selling endless breads, baked goods, and some specialty food items. It is more convenient, and after buying all the ingredients needed for a loaf of bread, economically speaking buying from the bakery can make more sense. However, many Danes still make their own bread every week, and many of them are my age. I have friends living at Kollegiums (essentially dorms for University students) who watch their Danish floormates bake breads constantly. Inspired by their need to always have fresh, homemade bread, I talked my host mother into teaching me how to bake my own.
Sourdough, the base of Danish rugbrod, is a fickle and tricky substance. I do not bake bread very often, but when I do, it is always a yeast based dough. Sourdough is much more complicated. It consists of a "starter culture", which is a culture of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It is kept alive by adding it to flour and water. Every time a new loaf of bread is made, some of the dough is taken out and is used as the "starter" for the next loaf. As long as bread is made about once a week, the sourdough will stay indefinitely. Like a red wine, the sour dough only gets better with age, so it is not uncommon to see one that has been in a family for generations. The starter we used was my host mom's grandmother's! Now that is old!
Making rugbrod from scratch is a long, 2 day process. It is not necessarily difficult, it is just time consuming. Starting the night before, the starter is combined with flour, water, salt, and perhaps a few other flavors of choice, such as honey. In our recipe, we used mostly rye flour with a bit of wheat flour. After combining these ingredients, the bread is left to rise for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
The next day is a free-for-all in terms of ingredients. Besides the addition of whole rye kernels and water, nearly any grain, seed, or flavoring can be added based on personal preference. One time, my host mom and I added poppy and sunflower seeds. Another time, we decided to add extra flavoring with a porter beer and pure maple syrup. Adding something a little sugary is always nice to not only balance the fermented flavor of the sourdough, but to also help keep the yeast in the starter alive for the next loaf. The important thing to remember is to add enough water so that the dough is a thick, but moist paste. To put it plainly, it should look like cement. Once everything your heart desires is added, the bread is then kneaded, or with modern technology, kneaded in the stand-mixer, for the next half hour. The longer the bread is kneaded, the less dense it becomes.
danish is so funny - this is the bag for rye kernels
mixing everything together!
sour dough preserved for the next loaf!
rye kernels!
rye flour
Of course every recipe is different, but my host mom likes to bake the breads for 1 1/2 hours at 175 C (about 375F) and then turn off the oven, and continue to bake the breads for an additional 45 minutes. Unlike yeast breads, rye bread should not be eaten straight out of the oven, as it is so moist on the inside it is difficult to slice. The best thing to do is to wait until the following morning to use for breakfast, sandwiches, or an afternoon snack (as all good Danes do). However, I have been known to cheat the waiting rule, as a luke-warm slice of rugbrod is absolutely delicious slathered with a particularly large pat of butter.
Because the starter dough is a sample of the the entire bread dough, that means that every loaf in every family or bakery tastes a little different. Even within a family, each loaf can taste different depending on what was added to the previous loaf of bread. Rugbrod is personal. Not only does it have a general history as a bread to fill your belly, but its taste also gives a little individual history to every family or individual that makes it. Your rugbrod tastes different from your neighbor's rugbrod because of the way your family before you baked it. If that is not passing down a recipe from one generation to the next, I do not know what is.
When I return to the States, my host mom has promised to send me home with a jar of her family's starter. I am so touched, I feel as though I will be receiving a family heirloom. I am glad that I can bring a little bit of my new family back with me across the Atlantic. Now the question remains - will I be able to bake and eat a large loaf of bread every week? If my fellow Smithies try some Danish rugbrod, I do not think it will be a problem!
a delicious sandwich the next day!
the finished product
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