A Short Guide to Smørrebrød

by Meg van Huygen

Find the most authentic smørrebrød in town at the Nordic Museum’s Freya cafe. ANDREW CARLIN

Fresh off a recent trip to Denmark, I came home infatuated with smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwiches found in just about every deli, pub, and snack bar north of Hamburg.

Because they’re often such perfect, dainty artworks, it feels rude to describe smørrebrød simply as “open-faced sandwiches.” Sure, they’re in the same family, but because there isn’t a piece of bread on top to smash everything down, the styling and composition is more creative, à la sushi. Overseas, the really involved smørrebrød are more like little food dioramas, so lovingly tweezed and landscaped that you can barely stand to ruin them with your dumb, clumsy mouth.