Danish cuisine originated from the peasant population’s own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques....
food
Ask a non-Dane to name some famous foods from Denmark, and they’re likely to offer up ‘pastries’, ‘butter’ or ‘herring’. In a nation that boasts a 7,000 kilometre coastline and a fishing culture that dates back thousands of years, seafood is hugely popular - and Danes, of course, adore their herring. Hearty, rustic and filling - these define what traditional Danish cuisine is all about. A lot of traditional Danish dishes are only seasoned with salt and pepper, making the ingredients take centre stage.
Cooking in Denmark has always been inspired by foreign and continental practices and the use of imported tropical spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and black pepper can be traced to the Danish cuisine of the middle ages and some even to the Vikings. It is majorly influenced by German and French cooking and strongly rooted in the need to use locally produced and available ingredients as well as in preservation.
Danish cuisine originated from the peasant population’s own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques developed in the late 19th century and the wider availability of goods during and after the Industrial Revolution. Potatoes, meats and fish, cheeses and dark breads are all pantry staples in a Danish household and are the building blocks of a hearty food culture that is steeped in tradition, is made for long, cold winters and celebrates blissful summer days. However, the past years have seen the evolution of Danish cuisine - local chefs have come up with inventive ways to use traditional and locally-produced ingredients that have put Denmark on the world culinary map.
Keeping the popularity of Danish cuisine in mind, the management at Avari Tower recently organized Danish Food Festival from 14th November to *23rd November in Karachi. The idea behind organising this food festival was to give Karachiites an opportunity to savour authentic Danish food. Renowned Danish chef Casper Bogeskov specially came to Karachi to prepare bona fide Danish dishes. A lively ambiance was created at Asia Live to attract guests. An elaborated Danish menu was offered at the restaurant including Potato soup with confit of chicken thighs; Rye bread with potato and green parsley mayonnaise; Beef patty with brown onion pure; Brandade with pickled onions and herbs, (mashed potatoes with smoked fish); Stuffed striploin with rosemary jus; Piri piri pasta and Hony and thyme grilled assorted vegetables. All were looking tempting enough but we couldn’t eat all. But the dishes we tasted had a nice flavour. Potato soup was good to start our meal, assorted vegetables were fresh and healthy, Brandade was yummy; Piri pasta was scrumptious and Rye bread was simply divine. It’s interesting to note that the love affair of the Danes with rye bread spans over 1000 years with its popularity not ever waning. There was also an array of desserts, and seemed inviting too, but we were so full that we decided to end our enjoyable evening with a cup of hot green tea!
In connection with Danish Food Festival, the Danish Embassy organised a mega event - DkinPK, held recently at Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi. The event was attended by prominent personalities. At the event, Danish chef Casper Bogeskov, who was in Karachi, offered a good number of tasty and healthy dishes to the guests.
The event also highlighted the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and put the focus not only why green transition was necessary for Pakistan and to the benefit of Pakistan’s economy, but also suggested concrete solutions from Denmark to the green transition challenges that we are all facing.
Celebrated Danish band ‘Rocqawali’ did fusion of the great Pakistani tradition of Qawali music with modern rock and enthralled the audience with their powerful performance.
-You! desk
