Previously: 40 Years in Beer, Part Twenty-Two: A placid traditional Danish lunch in Copenhagen, 1989.
Among my proudest moments as an American abroad was the time in November of 1989, when I returned to Copenhagen for my flight home, and while there, introduced the Three Danes of the Apocalypse to the delights of Nyhavns Færgekro (Ferry Inn), of which they’d been previously unaware.
For me, it was unalloyed nirvana, and to my utter delight, they liked it.
To this very day the daily herring buffet at Færgekro remains an undisputed highlight of western civilization. At least ten varieties of pickled herring (with sour cream, curry and Madeira sauce, among others) are offered, along with dense dark bread, butter, and garnishes like raw egg, onion and caper berry. Whole smoked herrings are displayed for carving straight from the bone.
Beer is available, as well as akvavit (Scandinavian schnapps), honoring the wonderful northern European custom of providing house-made infusions of herbs and spices for flavoring the firewater and washing down the tasty pickled and smoked morsels.
A guy could spend a whole...Read more
