Take a bite out of the world of Danish pastries (2024)

What to eat when. The Danish cake calendar

Pick a special occasion, and there’s a cake for it!

Birthdays: Time to eat a kagemand or kagekone (a cake baked in the shape of a man or woman) or, if you’re over the age of 10, a layer cake (a light sponge cake cut into lots of layers, with cream inbetween and berries on the top).

Christmas: Prepare yourself for a cake fest, with butter cookies, cinnamon and cardamom cookies, brunkager, small round vanilla biscuits called vaniljekranse and much more. The one thing they don’t eat is Christmas Cake – raisins do not feature in a typical Danish cake.

New Year’s Eve: At New Year it is traditional to eat kransekage, a tower of 18 of more ring-shaped layers made from almond, egg and sugar. Eaten as the clock strikes midnight (and after we've jumped into the New Year) it's served with a glass of bubbles to welcome the New Year.

February: Seven weeks before Easter, Denmark celebrates Fastelavn with a special type of cream-filled bun called fastelavnsboller that you’ll see everywhere in bakeries and supermarkets.

St. Bededag: On the fourth Friday after Easter, Denmark celebrates ‘Great Prayer Day’ by baking cardamom wheat buns called varme hveder. You can buy them everywhere or make them yourself– just be sure to eat them warm.

Summer: Danish strawberries are so full of flavour that it makes sense that summer is celebrated with a strawberry tart called jordbærkage, topped with fresh strawberries.

Take a bite out of the world of Danish pastries (2024)

FAQs

Why do Americans call pastries Danish? ›

A Danish pastry (Danish: wienerbrød [ˈviˀnɐˌpʁœðˀ]) (sometimes shortened to danish, especially in American English) is a multilayered, laminated sweet pastry in the viennoiserie tradition. It is thought that some bakery techniques were brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers, and originated the name of this pastry.

What is the famous Danish pastry called? ›

A Spandauer (also known in the US as a Danish) is baked with light, flaky pastry, and filled with either raspberry inside and topped with chopped hazelnuts or we let the seasons dictate our limited time seasonal Spandauer. It is typically eaten for breakfast, but is also often eaten with your afternoon coffee.

What do the Danish call Danish? ›

There's more than one type of 'Danish' in Denmark – and to make things even more confusing, we call them wienerbrød or Viennese bread, as the inspiration for them came from a trip a Danish baker took to Vienna back in the 19th century.

Can you freeze Costco Danish pastries? ›

The two-box deal does leave you with a lot of pastries (eight, in total), but according to Reddit users, the danishes freeze “exceptionally well” with no change to the flavor. Bonus: If they ever disappear again, you'll have a perfectly tasty supply available.

What is a Danish pastry called in Germany? ›

To this day, pastries inspired by these "suitcase bakers" are known as Kopenhagener Geback (Copenhagen-style pastries) in Germany, Kopenhageners in Austria, and, of course, simply Danish in most of North America and Great Britain.

What's another name for Danish pastry? ›

Called Wienerbrød in Danish and Norwegian (Wienerbröd in Swedish), which means 'Viennese Bread', these pastries are characterised by a yeast dough which is rolled out thinly and covered with thin slices of butter between the layers of dough.

What do danes eat for breakfast? ›

Typical Danish breakfast is bread (white or rye bread) with cream or soft cheese, sausage, cured cold meat or jam with coffee or tea. Among popular breakfast dishes are also cereals and porridge. One of the most interesting things and a very traditional Danish food you can eat in Copenhagen is øllebrød.

Why is Danish pastry so good? ›

The Danish baking technique involves rolling out the yeast dough thinly, layering it with thin slices of butter, and folding and rolling several times to create many layers. This process allows the dough to become rich, buttery, airy, and tender when baked.

What is the difference between croissants and Danish pastries? ›

Like brioche, Danish pastries contain eggs, which is one of the main differences between these pastries and croissants. Danish pastries contain eggs because the dough needs to be sturdier in order to add fillings. During the lamination process, Danish pastries are not folded as many times as croissants.

What is slang for hi in Danish? ›

1) Hej & Hej Hej

Saying 'hej' is the most common way to say hello in Copenhagen. Luckily, the pronunciation of the Danish greeting is exactly the same as the pronunciation of 'hi' in English. And, even better, 'hej' is also how you say goodbye in Danish (you can also say 'hej hej' for goodbye).

What is a Danish person called? ›

The people of Denmark are known as Danes. They are Nordic Scandinavians, many of which are blond, blue-eyed, and tall. In the southern part of the country, some people have German ancestry.

What is the Danish accent called? ›

The traditional dialects are generally divided into three main dialectal areas: Jutlandic dialect, Insular Danish, and East Danish. Since the Swedish conquest of the Eastern Danish provinces Skåne, Halland and Blekinge in 1645/1658, the Eastern Danish dialects there have come under heavy Swedish influence.

Does Costco have Danish? ›

Bon Appetit, Gourmet Danish, Variety Pack, 3 oz, 18-Count | Costco.

Do Danish pastries need to be refrigerated? ›

Baked Danish pastries are best enjoyed the same day they are made for optimal flakiness and freshness. However, they keep well in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to fold a Danish? ›

For the first shape, fold two opposing corners into the centre of the pastry, over the filling, and press firmly to seal. For the second shape, fold all four corners into the centre to create a parcel shape. This is good for almond squares with a filling of frangiapane.

What does Danish mean in the United States? ›

adjective. Dan·​ish ˈdā-nish. : of, relating to, or characteristic of Denmark, the Danes, or the Danish language.

What makes a pastry a Danish? ›

What Is a Danish Pastry? A Danish pastry, often known as simply “a Danish”, is a layered, sweet pastry baked with Danish pastry traditions. This type of baking involves using yeast-leavened dough or puff pastry with added ingredients such as butter, eggs, milk, cream, and sugar to make the pastries richer and sweeter.

What do the French call Danish pastry? ›

What is the translation of "Danish pastry" in French? en. Danish pastry = feuilleté fourré

What do they call pastries in the UK? ›

A pasty (/ˈpæsti/) is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora.

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