A Copenhagen Breakfast I’ll Never Forget

Rhubarb for breakfast? The smell alone stopped me in my tracks. At our hotel in Copenhagen recently, I noticed a sweet scent drifting from the stove and went over to ask what it was. I’d never seen anything like it before. They were cooking rhubarb in a big pot, and then I saw it again on the buffet, chilled and ready to serve. I added some to plain yogurt and it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, sweet, tart, and so fresh.

It made me think of Meghan Markle. I remember seeing on her show With Love, Meghan how she made rhubarb jam from her garden and even gave it as gifts. At the time it felt a little over the top, but now I get it. When something is that fresh, it really is special.

Part of why we came to Copenhagen was the food scene. If you’ve seen The Bear on Hulu, you might remember the pastry chef heading here for inspiration. That was based on reality. Noma used to be the best restaurant in the world, and now it’s a food lab called Noma Projects, experimenting and sharing ideas with chefs around the world.

We chose not to go to the fancy multi-course Michelin star restaurants. They’re definitely in Copenhagen, but that wasn’t what we were seeking out. Instead, we had a variety of high-quality food… lox, cheese, steak, eggs that tasted the way they did when I was a kid, whole fish, fresh peanut butter with little pieces of peanuts still in it, and fresh breads that were so good. The tiny mussels we had the first night stood out, and then at the Louisiana Museum we had another highlight… tiny homemade sausages that tasted like salami, amazing almonds I can’t even describe, and olives that rank in my top two of all time (the other was in Spain last year). It was the taste of those snacks, combined with the setting overlooking the sea, that made it so memorable.

The only downside is how expensive it can feel. Dinners in restaurants already seemed pricey from the menu, and then the bill came with a 25% tax on top.

Still, the memory that will stick is that simple bowl of yogurt and rhubarb. That’s what eating well is all about.