An old saying has it that when Denmark’s “Bornholm Kippers” are produced, silver is turned into gold. This is what happens when the silvery Baltic herring go into the smoking chamber in one of the island’s many smokehouses. As soon as the herring are taken out, the fish skin has turned golden. Salmon and mackerel are also cured in the old smoking chambers before landing on the dinner tables of all the many summer visitors.

Smoking fish the “Bornholm way” is not something you could ever be taught. According to the islanders, it’s a delicate knack. The smoke-curing takes place in the traditional way in open-ended smoking chambers, in which the fish are smoked for about four hours. According to the smokehouses, the smoking-time required varies from day to day. It depends on factors like whether the sun is out or it’s pouring with rain. In Hasle the smokehouse has been converted into a working museum where you can follow the whole process from start to finish. But the tradition for smoke-curing fish is not restricted to the Baltic island of Bornholm. At many Danish harbour-sides, smoke-curing goes on like there’s no tomorrow in the quaint little smoke-houses, where patrons can sit at tables outside to sample the delicacies.

Of course, there’s more to smoked foods than fish. Denmark is famous for its red deer, and in late autumn smoked haunch of venison graces the menus in many restaurants nationwide. And now to the sausages... A proper spread for the traditional sausage feast calls for a visit to the butchers “Slagter Munch” of Skagen or an order placed over the shop’s website. For almost a century, this time-honoured establishment has produced speciality sausages smoke-cured in the premise’s own smoking chamber. The range of smoked sausages is vast – right from the potato and carrot variety to spicy chipolatas and chorizo. If you ask nicely, and the shop isn’t too busy, you may even be allowed to come out the back and see how the smoke-curing is done.

Many restaurants now have also acquired small smoking chambers for hot-smoking all kinds of foods from fish to veal. One such is the Kanalen establishment, where patrons can enjoy an idyllic view of the rippling waters of the inner-city canals as they savour smoked delicacies from the on-site smoking chamber.

As the famous French masterchef, Anthèlme Brillat-Savarin once said “A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye”. True or not, cheese was made to please – not least the famous smoked speciality from Funen. Whereas all other Danish cheeses drew on foreign inspiration, this soft smoked cheese is an all-Danish speciality. It is made with the utmost attention to detail at the Løgismose Dairy. The cheese is smoked over oat straw, which is cut in a special way to prevent the straws from snapping – this would spoil the smoking. And the cheese is smoked for only about 30 seconds – just enough to impart the distinctive aromatic flavour.

Mariette Tiedeman