Copenhagen Cooks up a Gastronomic Treat

This Friday, August 20 marks the opening day of Copenhagen Cooking, a mouth-wateringly tempting festival of all that is great in the Scandinavian kitchen. From beer and shellfish to culinary cabaret, the menu for the next ten days caters to many tastes – with no less than 85 events on the program all over Copenhagen.

Organized in close collaboration with the city’s tourist agency, Wonderful Copenhagen, Copenhagen Cooking is in its sixth year now, and as the concept of ‘Nordic cuisine’ becomes more and more familiar worldwide – thanks in part of accolades like Noma’s San Pellegrino world’s best restaurant award – the festival can only grow in strength.

Though the official opening of the festival is on Friday, interested foodies can get a taster tomorrow, when the local Metro train service will present a series of small culinary events on its Vestamager-Vanløse line. According to the organizers, an ‘edible portrait of Copenhagen’ is to be served at various stations enroute, including Kongens Nytorv, the airport and Vanløse, along the gastronomic themes of global, local and metropolitan. Yes, we know, your parents told you not to play with your food – but these multimedia artists are planning to do just that!

For the price of a train ticket (minimum price DKK 23) you can hop on for a small, one-station taster or take the whole four-hour long culinary journey all the way from the Airport to Copenhagen’s western suburbs. ‘Mmm-Metro’ begins at 7pm at Kastrup Airport on Thursday August 19 and ends at 11pm.

The largest event this year is the Eat 2010 Foodfair being held at Øksnehallen in Vesterbro’s up-and-coming Kødbyen district this weekend. Opening at midday on Friday, the fair’s varied program includes a show kitchen, kids’ kitchen, the chance to enjoy lunch at the ‘Taste Market’ and a multimedia installation where dining and theater are combined in a ‘Culinary Kitchen Cabaret’.

Other events include the global street kitchen Taste the World on Nørrebrogade on August 28, a course in how to make Danish open sandwiches for children run by smørrebrød experts Aamanns, a shellfish festival at Carlsberg brewery, and the chance to sail over to Malmø, Sweden, in one of two historical ships for the Swedish city’s annual Crayfish Festival.

One aspect of the festival is already booked up, however. When tickets went on sale for the ‘Taste of Copenhagen’, a chance to dine at some of the city’s top restaurants including AOC, noma, The Paul and The Dining Room on August 10, the public jumped at the chance, and all tickets were sold out in just 15 minutes.

The whole programme can be viewed at www.copenhagencooking.com.

Photo of the dish ‘Glazed beets and apples’ from restaurant noma courtesy of Culinaire Saisonnier.