Smørrebrød

Smørrebrød

Specialised

An open sandwich, but the word understates a whole grammar. Buttered rye (or, for a few toppings, white bread), a principal topping, a garnish and a sauce, assembled to a set of conventions: leverpostej with bacon and mushrooms; roast pork with red cabbage and orange; marinated herring with onion and capers; fried plaice with remoulade; roast beef with remoulade and crisp onion; shrimp piled on white bread with lemon and dill; æggemad with tomato or chives; and dyrlægens natmad, liver pâté with salt beef, aspic and raw onion. The frokostrestaurant codified it in the 19th century; the rules about what may go with what are real and are argued about. ⚠ A COMBINATION IS NOT A NEW DISH: these are stored as topping and garnish relationships, not as hundreds of duplicate dish rows.