COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
The harbour of Nyhavn; a takeaway sausage platter; chocolate snowballs, a Danish Christmas favourite; popular Torvehallerne market
PHOTOGRAPHS: BABICH ALEXANDER/SHUTTERSTOCK, 101CATS/GETTY, KIM SARGENT, NICKOLAS SARGENT, THOMAS STEN SORENSEN
Little more than a decade has passed since New Nordic cuisine became a phenomenon and Copenhageners are still getting used to the idea of their city being a gastronomic capital. Long before Noma was hogging the world’s top restaurant spot, however, fishing boats were bringing in their catch by the cheerily painted quayside houses at Nyhavn, and the farmers from the Danish countryside were transporting their beef and pork to the warehouses of Kødbyen, just to the west of the city centre. Translated – with a nod in the direction of New York – as the Meatpacking District, this area is the focus of a guided walking tour that explores Copenhagen’s past and future food culture. Modern smørrebrød (open sandwiches) balance simplicity with artistry – tour participants get to try a pair, along with pork croquettes and charcuterie, beer and akvavit, and a meal’s worth of other specialities, in a once-gritty part of town that is casting off its ugly-duckling feathers.