Smorrebrod

Smorrebrod is the Danish open sandwich elevated to an art form: a slice of dense dark rye bread, buttered and piled high with carefully arranged toppings, be it pickled herring, roast beef with crispy onions, tiny prawns, or egg and shrimp. Eaten with a knife and fork at lunch, in a set order from fish to meat to cheese, it is a national institution.

What you actually see

• The classic toppings - herring, roast beef, prawns, egg and more on rye.
• The arrangement - the beautiful, careful presentation of each piece.
• The rye base - the dense dark sourdough rye that anchors it.
• The lunch ritual - eaten in order, with the traditional snaps and beer.

When to go

Year-round; it is a lunch dish, best at a traditional smorrebrod restaurant that treats it as a craft. A modern-Nordic version appears at trendier spots too.

Honest expectations

The finest smorrebrod at a specialist restaurant is a proper, not cheap, sit-down lunch, quite different from a supermarket version. Pickled herring is an acquired taste for some. It is eaten with cutlery, not picked up, and there is an order to it.

Nearby

Copenhagen's traditional lunch restaurants and the Torvehallerne market are the places to try it.