Eat Smart in Denmark book launch [and a cool give-away for you!]

This week, I was invited to the launch event for a new book called “Eat Smart in Denmark” at Restaurant Kronborg in the city center of Copenhagen. I’m always interested in Danish cuisine and not one to turn down an invite to taste some delicious food, so this event looked very promising!

The hosts - and authors of the book - are Carol and Katrina Schroeder, an American mom-and-daughter duo who share a love of Denmark and Danish culture. Carol first came to Denmark as a teenager, and even though she lives in Wisconsin now, she tries to return to visit her Danish friends at least every two years. Her Danish is pretty impressive, too (she definitely put me to shame, and I actually live here… sigh!).

Eat Smart in Denmark is an all-around guide to food and eating in Denmark. What I really like about the book is its comprehensiveness: it has a history of Danish food dating back to Viking times, a guide to shopping for food in Denmark, a menu guide for dining out, and of course some traditional recipes. It also has some information on how to get a hold of Danish food in the United States. Clearly, a lot of research went into this book, including trips to Copenhagen, tours in the National Museum and, I presume, countless servings of smørrebrød and other Danish classics.

The book launch was celebrated at Copenhagen staple Restaurant Kronborg, located in the old town center with a very cozy, typical Danish atmosphere, and we were served some amazing food in small portions (“snitter”) and local beer from Nørrebro Bryghus. I found some time to speak with Katrina while snacking away on this delicious mini version of a “lagkage”.

Since Katrina is a registered dietitian, I was interested in hearing her perspective on traditional Danish food - immediately, you’d think all the butter, cream and gravy would not be a dietitian’s first choice! And while she did agree to some extent, she also praised the local and seasonal ingredients that Danish cuisine focuses on, as well as the fact that the Danes are generally quite active - so my takeaway is that it’s totally okay to enjoy some “lagkage” and “kanelsnegler” every once in a while, just don’t forget to take your bike to work!

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It was a very nice event and it was great to meet the two very lovely ladies behind the book and hear from them about their love for Denmark and Danish food. In my opinion, getting to know and learning to love the local food in a new country can be one of the biggest challenges, but it can also be so exciting! It was great to see how much passion Carol and Katrina have for the Danish cuisine, and how they love to share their story and experiences.

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I haven’t had time to read the entire book, but I browsed around and I do think that this is a very nice and handy book to have - whether you’re a foreigner living here, a tourist coming to visit, or a Dane who wants to learn a bit more about the history about Denmark’s food. It’s a small paperback, so it’s easy to have in your purse while out and about in the city. You’ll also find a nice selection of traditional Danish recipes. From rødgrød med fløde to homemade remoulade, from æbleskiver to stjerneskud, they’ve got you covered!

For all of these reasons, I am happy to be able to give away one signed copy of Eat Smart in Denmark to one of my readers! For a chance to win, all you have to do is like Eat Smart in Denmark‘s Facebook page, follow The Copenhagen Tales via email (sign up on the right hand side) or on Facebook, and share your favorite Danish food in the comments! The winner will be announced on October 22nd.

Eat Smart in Denmark is available at Books & Company in Hellerup, at Arnold Busck on Købmagergade, and online on Saxo.com for DKK 130.


The book was kindly provided by the authors to be used as a give-away. All opinions in this post are my own.