Plant-Based Eating in Copenhagen
It was so exciting visiting Copenhagen last month for a partially sponsored food and nutrition conference. During my stay, I got to learn more about the amazing food culture in Denmark, which has been home to the most celebrated chefs in the world. Denmark has a rich culinary history that can be traced back to its Scandinavian roots, as well as its more temperate climate that supports the cultivation of so many delicious foods. The cool, hip vibe here has welcomed plant-based eating with open arms, as a method for increasing sustainability. There is an active local farm to table movement, as well as a vibrant urban street food scene. I enjoyed a wonderful world of plant-based eating during my stay. I had to snap this photo by a bike beside a wall of grapes, as Copenhagen is all about riding your bike to keep greenhouse gas emissions at a minimum. Enjoy reading about my plant-based adventures in Copenhagen.
Eat and Live Well,
Sharon
Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark
Walking around the city with Peter; such lovely architecture in the central areas of Copenhagen.
Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark
We snuck into the freetown region of Christiania for a peek. This part of the city is a green and car-free zone, and it’s famous for the residents’ bohemian lifestyle. The graffiti is so cool.
Bike-Loving Culture, Copenhagen, Denmark
Outside of Amsterdam, I don’t know if I’ve seen a more bike-friendly culture than Copenhagen. Everyone gets around via bikes, and there are even large carts that families attach to their bikes to transport children.
Coffee Culture, Copenhagen, Denmark
As is true with all of Scandinavia, the coffee culture is alive and well in Copenhagen. And they had tiny little coffee street carts scattered around town to grab a soy latte on the go.
Coffee, Copenhagen, Denmark
Walking along the harbor is such a lovely pastime as you enjoy Copenhagen, so we enjoyed stopping in for a break with a soy latte and view of the water at one of the numerous cafes.
Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark
This part of Copenhagen is so lovely—the old, picturesque buildings leaning against each other for support, painted in bright shades, as they face the harbor.
We stopped in for lunch and I just couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this sign. It’s quite something to see a sign like this in a European country, no? Yet, this captures the sentiment of what’s going on in Copenhagen, as they have completely embraced the plant-forward movement.
Produce Cart, Copenhagen, Denmark
This small cart selling local produce was so charming.
Dinner with Danes
As part of my conference activities, I got to enjoy a dinner with some of my dietitian colleagues with a Danish family. It was fun spending a night at their apartment.
Dinner with Danes
We enjoyed many local, traditional foods. I had some local vegetables served with a hummus.
Dinner with Danes
Enjoying our lovely dinner!
Boat Tour of Copenhagen at Sunset
We also enjoyed a boat tour of the city, which I highly recommend. It’s a wonderful viewpoint to capture the architecture and layout, and a good guide will fill you in on the rich history of the city as you make your way.
Boat Tour of Copenhagen
Nordatlantens Brygge, with Chefs Bo Lindegaard and Lasse Askov
Our boat took us to the old stomping grounds of the legendary NOMA restaurant, which is now operating in Christiania. We enjoyed an amazing dinner prepared by Chefs Bo and Lasse in this historic building. Here I am with friend and colleague Michelle Dudash.
Nordatlantens Brygge, with Chefs Bo Lindegaard and Lasse Askov
The dining was very much an experience here, as the chefs provided meals with no modern cutlery. One of my courses was a sous vide watermelon with surgical scissors to open the bag.
Nordatlantens Brygge, with Chefs Bo Lindegaard and Lasse Askov
This course was a riff on “cup of noodles” and even used recycled containers to serve the fresh noodles with vegetable broth. To the side is endive filled with dried fruit.
Copenhagen Harbor
The water is life in Copenhagen—for real. The water is clean enough (which the locals take great pride in) to swim in. In fact, people are actively swimming, diving, rowing, and paddling along the water in the summer.
Paper Island, Copenhagen
It was great fun visiting Paper Island, which is an old historic warehouse area that has been turned in to a food hall. It is very eclectic, international and filled to the brim with life. I enjoyed a couple of meals, here, including this Thai Tofu Veggie Stir Fry and some local beer.
Seed and Nut Pudding, Copenhagen House of Food
During our conference, we were treated to a meeting at the Copenhagen House of Food, which is a local office that oversees governmental food programs for organizations like schools and nursing homes. They have established goals of going 100% organic, and now are at about 90% organic. Their focus is on reducing pesticides so that the waterways stay cleaner in Copenhagen. In order to purchase this percentage of organic products for their foodservice and still say in budget, they have reduced the animal foods on the menu dramatically, and are focusing on preparing foods from scratch.
CPH Food Space, Copenhagen
We also toured this cool area in Copenhagen, which used to be the old meat packing section. It is now been turned into an area with hip restaurants, cafes, and bars. Part of this program includes this mobile local foods cart.
CPH Food Space, Copenhagen
Open face sandwiches (smorbrod) are very traditional in Copenhagen, and I enjoyed a gourmet plant-based one which featured avocados and green strawberries, fermented onions and herbs, and parsnip chips with pea tendrils. Yum!
Restaurant Gorilla, Copenhagen
We dined out in the old meat packing district one night at the acclaimed Gorilla. It’s all about approachable farm to table cuisine. I had these handmade chickpea patties with beets served with tahini sauce that were fabulous.
Restaurant Gorilla, Copenhagen
I also enjoyed this summer squash dish with fresh and roasted zucchini.
No. 2, Copenhagen
We dined out at this local hotspot on the harbor, too. My dish was so beautiful; it included chanterelle mushrooms with geranium leaves and blackberries.
There is definitely a lot to love for the plant-based enthusiast in Copenhagen. If your travels send you in this region, enjoy all that it has to offer.