If you ask a lot of people around the world what they prefer the easiest and most nutritious snack, most will say - a sandwich! The name of this versatile snack, which is a slice of bread on which any food is placed, comes from the German "butterbrot" - bread and butter. By the way, do you know who invented the sandwich? In the history of world cuisine, there is a version that the idea of creating the first sandwich belongs to the famous astronomer and physicist Nicholas Copernicus, who was born to him in 1520 at the time of the siege of the Olsztyn castle by the Teutonic knights, whose commandant was Copernicus.
Today there are a huge number of types of sandwiches - from the simplest - with a piece of sausage or cheese - to multi-layered, folded from various types of meat, vegetables, herbs, sauces or pates. The sandwich can be vegetarian or meat, fish or sweet. It can be open or closed, turning into a sandwich - a sandwich consisting of two or more pieces of bread. It can be cold or hot.
Sandwiches have become the most widespread around the world, as they are quick to prepare, tasty and nutritious, easy to carry and usually do not require the use of appliances. In one form or another, this type of snack has become an integral part of the cuisine of almost every country. And in each of them they are prepared in different ways. But in this huge sandwich family there are also representatives who not only gained fame all over the world, but also became a kind of "visiting card" of the national cuisine. Smörrebred belongs to such unique culinary masterpieces.
Smørrebrød (in the original - smørrebrød) - in translations it is also called "smorrebrod" and even "smørrebrol" or smöeb'ot - this is the name of a Danish sandwich from the Danish "bread and butter". The name of this culinary miracle sounds something like this, but very roughly, because in the Russian language there are no letters and sounds that can correctly convey the sound of the name of this sandwich. Which of the Danish dishes is "the most Danish", opinions differ only among specialists, but not among ordinary Danes, who, without hesitation, will answer you - smörrebred. And although usually few people in the world have heard about Danish cuisine, the glory of smörrebred has long stepped over the borders of their homeland, penetrating the oceans, and, by the way, into our country too, which confirms the fact that smörrebred is not an ordinary or even very unusual sandwich. !
In the olden days, smörrebrood lived in Denmark like an ordinary sandwich, honestly fulfilling the duties of a simple, quick and inexpensive snack. The Danes smeared a piece of rye bread with butter, sometimes adding a slice of cheese or ham on top. Then the smurrebrod began to grow. At the end of the 19th century, with the development of factory production, smörrebroed took over the role of lunch for the workers in Danish factories. To make lunch more satisfying, they began to impose on top of the smurrebred pieces of any yesterday's food, so that they had enough strength to hold out until dinner. Gradually, the convenience of such a snack was appreciated by the richer strata of Danish society, and the smörrebred from the food of the poor turned into a dish worthy of the table of aristocrats, although, of course, they were very different in their content. For example, the favorite smörrebrod of the great Danish prose writer and poet, author of world-famous fairy tales for children and adults, Hans Christian Andersen, consisted of a piece of rye bread with layers of bacon, liver pâté and jelly.
The "lucky star" of smörrebröd rose in 1888 when Copenhagen wine merchant Oscar Davidsen opened a wine bar at his shop, and his wife Petra began to prepare smörrebröds for shop visitors, and did so with such inspiration that the fame of her treats quickly spread throughout Copenhagen.In 1900, the wine bar menu, which already had 178 variations of smörrebroda, entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest menu in the world - more than 140 centimeters (!), And Danish sandwiches became a world famous.
Now the fifth generation of the Davidsen family is continuing the family business at the Ida Davidsen restaurant, which replaced the Oskar Davidsen restaurant. (Store Kongensgade 70, 1264 København K.) The business is run by the great-grandson of that first Davidsen, also Oscar. Ida Davidsen, who runs her grandfather’s restaurant kitchen, is increasingly called “Queen Ida” behind her back, and the smørrebrød list has grown even longer, reaching 250 copies. The restaurant, as before, is very cozy at home, there are many regular customers. “Smørrebrød” are created here in honor of many famous people in Denmark, but this honor is not easy to earn.
Of course, there is a smörrebrød on the menu in honor of Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen's smörrebred consists of a piece of rye bread, butter, toasted bacon, liver pate, tomato slices, consommé (a plate of beef broth aspic), finely grated fresh horseradish root and finely chopped parsley. On the bread, smeared with a thin layer of butter, thin toasted bacon slices are placed, liver pate is placed on one half of the slices, and tomatoes in circles on the other; liver pâté is decorated with a strip of consommé, tomatoes - with a strip of grated horseradish and finely chopped parsley leaves. This smurrebroll was created, of course, not by Hans Christian Andersen, but by the son of Oscar Davidsen. He was a loyal admirer of the talent of the great Danish storyteller and conducted a whole research, collecting from Andersen's diaries all the names of the products from which the world's greatest storyteller preferred to make sandwiches for himself.
There are smurrebroles on the menu, named after Danish politicians, journalists, athletes, artists and, of course, not without members of the Danish royal court. For example, you can sink your teeth into Victor Børge (Victor Børge Rosenbaum, 1909-2000, Copenhagen, Danish pianist, conductor and comedian). The smörrebrood in honor of an old and very beloved Danish showman is a piece of rye bread with salmon, freshly marinated mosquito caviar, crayfish tails, greenland shrimp and lime and dill mayonnaise. How do you like this option?
In Denmark, smörrebred is usually served with a cold local beer. Be sure to try Shooting Star, made with toasted white bread, a slice of steamed white fish, a slice of fried white fish, shrimp garnished with a spoonful of mayonnaise, red caviar and a slice of lemon. Surely you will also like Sun over Gujem, cooked with smoked herring, egg yolk, radish and onion. The Veterinarian's Midnight Snack is another delicious smörrebred made from rye bread with butter or duck fat, topped with liver pate, salted beef, green onion and red onion rings. What fillings and combinations the Danes have not created: fried herring, homemade chicken salad, smoked venison with scrambled eggs, homemade sausage, old cheese with onions and sauce, smoked salmon, smoked eel with scrambled eggs and fish fillet with Danish remoulade (Danish sauce based on mayonnaise ).
Today smörrebrod is a real hallmark of Danish cuisine. Several reputable world-renowned restaurants in Copenhagen specialize exclusively in smörrebred. Smörrebrøds also take pride of place on the tables of international events of the highest level, which are held by Denmark.
What are the features of the Smurrebroda? To begin with, it is made with rugbrød Danish rye bread, which is usually baked in sourdough with the addition of whole grains and seeds. Although real smörrebröd can also be made with white bread, for example, some smörrebröds with fish do this.
Then a not too thick slice of bread is generously greased with good natural butter.
The basics of building a real Danish smörrebrod are simple and concise: smörrebrood should be beautiful, and its fillings should be harmoniously combined in taste and texture.
And the Danes know a lot about fillings for their smurrebreds! The stuffing of a Danish sandwich can take pride in its variety. First of all, this is pickled herring, smoked salmon or gravlax and shrimps, then roast beef and other types of cold baked meat, cut into thin slices, followed by pate, cheese and boiled eggs, then all kinds of vegetables from fresh salad and herbs to pickled cucumbers, then mayonnaise and sauces based on it and even beef tartare.
However, all this variety of fillings absolutely does not negate the fact that any Dane will call an ordinary sandwich with butter in the same way by the name “smörrebred”.
It is almost impossible to eat such an outstanding multi-storey sandwich with your hands, therefore, from childhood, the Danes have mastered the art of eating smörrebröds correctly with a fork and knife.
It is not surprising that since smorrebrods became an international trend, it is simply impossible to name the number of recipes for their preparation existing in the world. But, in spite of all the author's and national variations of the recipe for this dish, the basis for building a Danish sandwich is unchanged - rye or grain toast in the base and mainly northern products in the content.
There are a few rules to remember when enjoying smörrebrods so that you can survive your first Danish Cold Table without any problems. Always eat herring first, then any other fish, then meat, then cheese or vegetables. Use a knife and fork instead of hands!
Rules for constructing smurrebroda
The beauty of smörrebred, which has long and far gone beyond the usual modest sandwich, is also that it can be prepared without much difficulty at home without having a professional culinary diploma, you just need to keep in mind a few simple but immutable rules.
The basis of any smurrebred is rye bread. If you can't buy a real Danish rugbrød, you can use rye "edges" or whole grain bread instead. The bread slice should be a little less than 1 cm thick. Spread the bread with a thin layer of good butter.
Next, we make a choice of what our smurrebred will be - fish, meat, cheese or vegetable. Having made this difficult decision, we begin the selection of ingredients, not forgetting the main thing, namely, a Danish multilayer sandwich, in addition to the main ingredient - slightly salted or smoked red fish or herring, or shrimp, in a fish version; or thin slices of roast beef or a layer of pâté - in the meat version, etc., necessarily contains greens: green or red onions, cilantro, dill or cereal sprouts. Smurrebred often contains an omelet or boiled egg. Everything is to your taste! Take a few of your favorite ingredients and make a new combination of them, the main thing is to achieve their harmonious combination both in taste and in texture. Danes usually cook at least three smörrebreda for one person - necessarily one meat and one fish, and in addition to them - vegetable or cheese.
Recipes:
- Smörrebred with radish, cucumber and quail eggs
- Smörrebred with potatoes, herring and beans
- Smörrebred with sardines, beets, poached egg and parsley pesto
- Smörrebred with salmon and cream cheese
- Smorrebrod with herring and pickled beets
- Smörrebrod with roast beef and gherkins
- Danish Remoulade
- Smorrebred with soft-boiled egg, shallots and radishes
- Smörrebred with shrimps, avocado and egg with cucumber sauce
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Smörrebröd is a real art, it is no coincidence that there are even special vocational schools in Denmark (education is equivalent to secondary vocational), in which, in three years of study, you can learn how to professionally prepare smörrebred.In Danish, such a specialist is called smorrebrods jomfru, which in a very direct translation into Russian means "sandwich maiden". Even if this "sandwich maiden" is male, the position will sound like this and not otherwise. Here is such a funny tradition!
We hope we have been able to convince you that His Majesty Smörrebroed is an original and delicious appetizer, a great way to surprise guests, and also a great opportunity to show your individuality. So, dear lovers of cooking, smurrebrёd into your hands!
