This food history is perhaps the most important that can be written about Danish cuisine. Since the end of the Viking Age, rye has been the Danes' most valuable cereal. Around 1850, rye was considered the staple food of the entire nation.
In addition to the exciting history of rye in Denmark, the book contains a large selection of recipes for bread, cakes, desserts and dinner dishes with rye. Ranging from the 17th-century high nobility's baked venison roasts in rye flour, to the smalhans of the Occupation, to the story of the highly plated open sandwiches that made Danish cuisine world-famous.
Rye bread can justifiably be called a thoroughly Danish signature dish, and the story of the development of rye in Danish cuisine is also a story of ups and downs in Danish history. The role of rye has changed from a filling food in the 19th century to one of the best examples of sustainable Danish food in the 21st century.
