How To Make A Danish Open Sandwich

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People love to eat sandwiches whether as snacks or even as a meal in itself. But the sandwich most of us have been exposed to is the one with two loaf breads and some filling in between.

In Denmark, however, they have this so-called open sandwich or smorrebrod in Danish.  As its name suggests, the supposed to be fillings are exposed and the sandwich only has one bread. So it’s just a single piece of loaf bread topped with various fillings or spreads. It is also known as open faced sandwich, tartine and Ulrich sandwich.  In most North American and European countries, this is eaten during regular meals.

While the closed sandwich with two slices of bread involved may be the most popular in countries in North America and other parts of Europe, the open type is the traditional one in the Nordic region. The Scandinavian version uses whole-grain rye bread which is buttered and then has toppings of either smoked salmon, shrimps, cold steak, caviar, hard boiled eggs, bacon, fish fillets, liver pate and meat balls. Some herbs and vegetables may also be included such as parsley, cucumber and tomato wedges.   A small amount of mayonnaise is normally spread on the bread before the toppings are placed.

When ordering this sandwich at cafes and restaurants, the smorrebrod is usually arranged in an attractive manner to make it more appetizing to customers. Two slices of toasted and buttered rye bread are well positioned on a plate after which the toppings are added on to.

A Scandinavian meal is never without bread. The rye bread is most preferred. This is a dark and heavy bread that can be bought pre-sliced and in several varieties. With a number of toppings you can combine to make this sandwich, this alone already serves as a one great meal.  

When you’re in Copenhagen, you might want to visit Ida Davidsen which is an old yet renowned restaurant that serves a wide variety of irresistible smorrebrod.

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