Christiania, an autonomous community of 1,000 people in Copenhagen, was once known predominantly for its tolerance to drugs (production, sale and use), not for its artisan bakeries, but the scene is changing.
These days, you are more likely to feel a puff of baked organic bread than a crazy maniac, as I discovered on a food tour of the Danish capital.
Other areas have also cleaned up their acts. Vesterbro, located just outside the city center, was once full of slaughterhouses, butchers, markets, and brothels. It’s still gritty, but now it’s packed with independent cafes, restaurants, and microbreweries, and it can take a lot of credit for transforming this city into one of Europe’s most exciting gastronomic hubs.
Colorful – Christiania’s fashion community is becoming known for its artisan bakeries. The photo shows the entrance to the district.
A ‘smorrebrod’ at Aamanns 1921 restaurant, which Kate describes as ‘a classy place tucked away on Stroget’s pedestrianized shopping street’
I stay at Scandic Kodbyen, which has an interior that gives more than a passing reference to its meatpacking history.
Vegetarians and vegans may prefer to book elsewhere, as you’ll find tables that look like sliced salami, illuminated glass wall panels with blood-red marble meats, and steak-patterned carpets.
An afternoon stroll takes me through the streets of Slagterboderne (which means Butcher’s Stalls) and Flaesketorvet (Flesh Square) to the epicenter of the neighborhood: the old meat packing area of Kodbyen (Meat City), where you will find the Kodbyens Fiskebar restaurant. It was one of the first restaurants to move in and help transform the area, and its basic decor hasn’t stopped it from reaching the Michelin Guide.
“In Denmark we say dum som in torsk (stupid as a cod),” my waiter tells me. “But for a stupid fish, it’s delicious and our special for today.” My lightly smoked cod comes with hand-cut fries and a spicy remoulade.
Nearby Fleisch is a working butcher shop with a restaurant offering a meaty seven-course tasting menu and, for hardcore carnivores, a homemade organic bacon-infused bourbon.
In another part of town, I go in search of the Danish staple: smorrebrod (open sandwich), and find that you are dragged into the 21st century at Aamanns 1921, a posh spot tucked away on Stroget’s pedestrianized shopping street (don’t miss the designer Georg Jensen’s beautiful store and Royal Copenhagen’s flagship store and museum), where I order mine with a seasoning of cured salmon and black currant.
Norrebro, sprayed with graffiti, was ranked by Time Out as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world, now more gourmet than ghetto thanks to places like Kiin Kiin, the only Thai restaurant (outside of Thailand) to have a Michelin star.
A street in Norrebro, which was rated by Time Out as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world.
No food tour would be complete without a tour of Torvehallerne’s indoor high-end food market.
These twin glass rooms are a showcase for Danish food from small farms and producers.
Try the soft liquorice spread with dark chocolate in the Xocolatl Chocolatier; head to Glean for velvety vegan custard scones; And at Surroundings & Friends, a Nordic deli, you can pull up to a stool, order a charcuterie board, a local Borghgedal beer, and watch the hungry world go by.
Between the aisles is a flower market where wealthy ladies come to buy elegant bouquets of flowers and buskers play guitars.
Back at Scandic Kodbyen, I order a Sweyn Forkbeard Nr. 3 (a Viking-inspired cocktail made with gin, mead, milk thistle, and fennel-infused honey) at Bar Mor. Skal (applause), the bartender calls me, as I briefly worry about how many pounds I must have gained.
However, strangely, my belt only needs the smallest of adjustments, a testament not to the quantity, but to the quality of everything that I had gobbled up.
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