When I lived in Singapore, the food was one of the most shocking parts of the experience - curry, chili and fishballs threw my mild Canadian palette for a loop. Thankfully the food in Denmark is slightly more continental. Adjusting hasn't been too hard but there have been some foods that I have just had to learn to love over the past 10 months.
1.
Pork
Don't get me wrong, I like pork and always have but the Danes consume at the same rate they do oxygen. Sausages, hotdogs (polser), pork meatballs (frikadeller) and bacon are all main staples of the Danish diet. It's the cheapest type of meat to buy here and as a student, that's pretty much all that needs to be said. It's one of Denmark's largest exports and the quality is really quite good for the price.
2.
Danish Rye Bread or Rugbrød
During my first few weeks here I picked up a loaf after watching the locals the grocery store and made myself a sandwich. Little did I know, this is not your average rye bread that you would toast and put some pastrami on. It is heavy and insanely filling. After having two pieces of it, I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. Danes tend to have it for lunch and breakfast as a part of "smørrebrød" where they load it up with cheese, deli meats, veggies and all types of spreads. It took a few months but I eventually bought a second batch and I now have it regularly.
3.
Shrimp or Rejer
Itty bitty shrimps. On everything. Seriously. Ok, not everything. But obviously being a Nordic country, fish and seafood are a main staple of Danes' diets. The most common probably being rejer. They put them on salads, in pasta and on smørrebrød. In February, I visited with a friend's family and for an appetizer I was served half an avocado sprinkled with salt and pepper with a dollop of mayonaise and rejer on top. I was a little hesitant but I think I've made it once a week since. Simple, delicious and a relatively healthy snack.
4.
Remoulade
To go with your polser or your smørrebrød, one must have remoulade. If I had to describe it, it tastes like mild mustard mixed with sauerkraut. Originally a French condiment, the Danes have put their own twist on it to include "finely chopped cabbage and pickled cucumber" (according to
Wikipedia). Unfortunately, I over did it the first few months I was here and have yet to buy another bottle but I know friends who were on exchange here who took home a liter of it.
5.
Carrots
I felt the need to include carrots because of an experience I had in September. I was down by the canal in Aarhus and saw a grown man sit down with a book and start chomping down on a raw carrot as if he were Bugs Bunny. At the time, it was the strangest sight to me. Since, I have noticed a lot of my Danish friends and room mates do the same thing. And quite frankly, I've started doing it as well. It's like the equivalent of the North American apple in the lunch box.
Honourable mentions: Muesli, Milk, Potatoes
