Meals at the Danish Language Village
International Cuisine Countdown
Recipe of the DayDanish Light Rye Bread
Bake this bread and delight your inner Dane with this traditional rugbrød.
Makes One Loaf
1 ¼ cup - Water
2 Tbsp - Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp - Molasses
2 Tbsp - Brown sugar
1 cup - Rye flour
2 ¼ cup - Bread flour
2 tsp - Instant yeast
1 tsp - SaltCombine the water, vegetable oil, molasses and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the flours and sprinkle in the yeast. Mix until it forms dough. Add the salt and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise until it doubles in size. Shape the dough on a floured work surface into a round loaf, or you can use a greased loaf pan if you prefer. Let the dough rise again. Bake the bread dough in a 350° F oven for 25 minutes. Rotate the bread and bake it another 10 minutes. Cool, slice, and serve.
Danish food has traditionally offered a variety of meat and potato dishes based on their agricultural heritage. This tradition has carried through to today, although Danes throughout history have always welcomed foods from other countries, particularly French cuisine. Popular food you’ll see at include frikadeller (Danish meatballs), smørrebrød (open-face sandwiches), and rødgrød med fløde (traditional Danish pudding).
Meal-time traditions
Once everyone is inside, we begin (and end) every meal with a song. We take time to introduce the food – not everyone is used to the special Danish dishes, and the skits are good entertainment and an opportunity to practice and learn some Danish. When the food comes to the table, everyone takes a little bit and passes it around until everyone has been served. And if you finish your meal and are hungry for more, we encourage you to ask for seconds.
If you are vegetarian, have food allergies, or have special dietary needs, you will be able to get food specially prepared from the kitchen once the main meal is served—just make sure you note this information on your health form.
