Come Along With Me to Denmark

20 hours ago

3 min read

By Chef Alison Negrin

Is Denmark on your bucket list? If so, I’d love for you to join me in late summer 2027 on a culinary tour I’ve dreamed of creating for years.

Where my cooking began

Some of you have read my stories about living in Denmark as a young adult. What I couldn’t have known then was how deeply those years would shape the chef I would become.

We ate what grew in the garden, what was in season, and what could be gathered or preserved. Sustainability and farm to table weren’t terms we used to describe our meals. They were simply how we lived.

At the time, I didn’t fully recognize Danish cooking as a distinct culinary tradition, with its own techniques, rhythms, and customs, just as French and Italian cooking have theirs. I was learning by living it: cooking, eating, and watching the people around me.

A small Danish café with flower boxes and hand-painted signs

Then and now

The restaurant scene I remember was much quieter, with familiar dishes appearing on many menus. Today, people travel to Denmark to experience New Nordic cuisine, built on fermentation, wild foods, and hyper-minimal presentation. It’s home to Noma and Geranium, both named the best restaurant in the world. On this tour, I want to share both the traditions I came to love and the imagination that has transformed Danish restaurants.

We’ll explore bakeries, enjoy traditional cooking interpreted in fresh ways, and meet people helping shape contemporary Nordic cuisine. I’m curious to discover what has changed, and excited to share what still feels familiar.

How this trip came together

The opportunity came through Les Dames d’Escoffier, an organization of women working throughout the food and hospitality world. I attended a panel on culinary tourism, hoping to learn how to turn my idea into an actual trip. There I connected with Claudia Royston of Global Gourmands.

When I told her what I had in mind, her response was essentially: “Let’s do it together.”

With Claudia bringing her experience organizing culinary travel, we’ve worked together to create a journey filled with places and experiences I’m eager to share.

The journey

A cobblestone street lined with colorful old houses on Ærø — **The Village of Ærø**

Copenhagen. We’ll begin with a rooftop garden, learn to make smørrebrød (Denmark’s beautiful open-faced sandwiches), and explore the city on foot. We’ll also visit Louisiana, one of my favorite art museums, and the home of Karen Blixen, the Danish author who wrote Out of Africa and Babette’s Feast under the pen name Isak Dinesen.

Funen and Ærø. From there, we’ll travel to Funen and then to the little island of Ærø, where I spent a few weeks several years ago. I can’t wait to return with you: cobblestone streets, old houses, and the pleasure of slowing down. On Ærø, we’ll join a local farmer to forage along the coast and in the woods, then prepare lunch together. We’ll visit a traditional smokehouse and gather in a tiny cinema for a private screening of Babette’s Feast. What better company for a culinary journey than a story about the generosity and pleasure of preparing a meal?

Aarhus. Our travels continue to Aarhus, on the Jutland peninsula, for more discoveries.

This trip brings together so much of what I love: cooking, art, gardens, the sea, and time around a table. It’s an opportunity to share the country that helped shape my life in food, and to experience it anew together.

I hope you’ll come along!

Danish Rugbrød

A taste of Denmark to try at home: the dense, seeded rye bread that’s the foundation of smørrebrød.

Makes 1 loaf

A loaf of Danish rugbrød on a wooden bread board

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter (I used Yvonne Prinz’s Parisian starter)
3 cups rye flour
1 cup water
1 cup dark beer
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup steel cut oats
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup almonds, millet, amaranth or rye berries

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. You can use your hands or a wooden spoon.
Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it sit for 12–24 hours, until it doubles in volume.
Spoon the dough into a greased and floured long, narrow rectangular pan (4" by 12").
Use wet hands to smooth the surface of the bread.
Cover the pan and let rise for 1–3 hours, or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
Bake at 325°F for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack and store in a zip-lock bag.
The bread will keep 1–2 weeks at room temperature.