How to Hygge
Plus a hilarious Danish beer law, a gløgg recipe, and a holiday discount
Hello!
I love this time of year. The lights and decorations in downtown Chicago, the scent of baking spices in candles and actual kitchens, eggnog in any form, the cheer in the air, the joy of finding the perfect gift, even the terrible Christmas movies on Netflix. I watch them all no matter how predictable and cringy they are.
Perhaps nowhere embodies what I love about this season more than Denmark, the second happiest country in the world and the land of Hygge. My brother and his wife moved to Denmark in October and I spent last week with them, learning all about the art of getting cozy.
Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) is, according to the Oxford Dictionary, “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”
The Visit Denmark website gives this description:
In essence, hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Cosying up with a loved one for a movie – that’s hygge, too. And there's nothing more hygge than sitting around with friends and family, discussing the big and small things in life.
Christmas is, apparently, the “high season of Hygge.” Things that qualify, in my limited experience:
Candles. So many candles and stores selling candles! For much more affordable prices than in the U.S. When was the last time you purchased candle holders here? They can be outrageously expensive. Not so in Denmark, where candle holders that would go for upwards of $50 at Crate & Barrel are around $3.
“Danes fight the darkness with their best weapon: hygge, and the millions of candles that go with it.” –Visit Denmark.
Gløgg, or mulled wine. More below.
Blankets and scarves. Bonus points if you knit them yourself.
Embracing indoor time.
Hygge at home: Play board games, paint a picture, invite friends over for a meal, watch all those cheesy Christmas movies, learn to knit, get yourself as cozy and comfortable as possible and don’t feel bad about not being out and about. The key to happiness, as the Danes, know, is curling up and staying in.
I had been to Copenhagen years ago, but this was my first time visiting some of Denmark’s other cities like Vejle and Aarhus. Looking forward to visiting again in the summer and putting together a more comprehensive Denmark guide for you.
For now, Glædelig jul!
This week, paid subscribers will get a Q&A on how to be a better traveler in Hawaii, as well as a layover guide to Amsterdam and a recipe for the best twist on a Negroni I’ve ever had (really the only I’ve liked as much as the classic).
Travel for the Food
As food writer R.W. Apple Jr. said, “Leave it to the Danes, those past masters of form and color, to turn sandwiches into still lifes.”
Enter smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwich derived from the Danish words for bread and butter. Smørrebrød is typically made with rugbrød, a Danish rye, and topped with butter and various vegetables, meat, herring, etc.
From Apple Jr.’s dispatch:
“Smørrebrød dates from the 1600's, when farm families took baskets filled with bread, butter, sausage and smoked fish into the fields. There they made their own open-faced sandwiches. As Denmark slowly became more urban, sandwich making moved to the kitchen, and preparations became more elaborate. But the renowned Danish pork products -- bacon, ham and salami -- remained prime ingredients, along with preserved anchovies, herring, eel and salmon.”
They’re eaten with a fork and knife, and, according to Serious Eats, there is etiquette: “Some rules are intuitive: avoid mixing proteins; layer thin toppings on first, then bulky ones. Others are less obvious. To eat an array of smørrebrød, start with herring and then move to other fish; eat meat next; finish with cheese.”
I had a wonderful smørrebrød at Onkel A in Vejle. It had such a heap of toppings I’m not exactly sure what was on it, but definitely a light cheese, smoked salmon, capers, avocado, microgreens and pickled onions.
At a Christmas market, I tried æbleskiver, fried dough served with jam and powdered sugar. It was more savory than I expected, kind of like a buttermilk pancake or biscuit, with a perfectly fried outside and fluffy interior. Would happily eat these every day. They’re made on the stove in a special cast iron pan and, at least according to Wikipedia, turned with a knitting needle while cooking.
Don’t let the name fool you. Though æbleskiver translates to “apple slices,” there are no apples in the present version of æbleskiver.
Travel From Home
In Chicago, try smørrebrød at Ørkenoy in Humboldt Park.
For fine-dining, try the eight-course menu from Michelin-starred Elske, which means “love” in Danish.
Get kringle from Kirsten’s Danish Bakery, learn to knit at Nina Chicago, and sip mulled wine at the Christkindlmarket or at the Zoo Lights.
Growing up in Wisconsin, I learned that our state pastry, Kringle, was a Danish dessert made of pastry dough, a fruit and nut filling, and drizzled with icing. So I was surprised that I didn’t see any kringle in Denmark. Turns out, ‘kringle’ is a variety of pretzel and the word refers to the shape, not necessarily what we think of as the dessert.
Did you know? The first wave of Danish settlers began arriving in the U.S. in 1839 or 1840. They were looking for a way to protect and feed their families during the European Potato Famine and settled in Racine, Wisconsin, which soon became a hub of Danish culture.
Either way, if you pass through Racine, try the “Very Danish Christmas Kringle” at O&H Danish Bakery, where 36 layers of pastry envelop an almond and Door County cherry filling.
Wine of the Week
It’s gløgg, of course! Mulled wine is popular across Europe. Whether you call it gløgg, glühwein, or simply mulled wine, it’s a festive warm drink made from heating red wine with cinnamon, cloves and other spices. Some people add brandy or schnapps. In Denmark I had it served with almonds and scoops of alcohol-soaked raisins. Find the Danish recipe here.
Denmark is also very into Christmas beer. From a museum exhibit in Aarhus:
Christmas and beer have been closely linked since the days of the Vikings. Vikings did not simply celebrate Christmas––they called it drinking yule. A thousand years ago, it was indisputable that there were fines for not brewing a barrel of Christmas beer. Christmas lasted as long as there were supplies of Christmas beer.
Fines for not brewing a barrel of beer!
In 1953, the Carlsminde brewery in Nyborg introduced a luxury Christmas brew. Today, there are more than 300 Christmas brews in Denmark, with 70-80 new ones each year. One of those Christmas brews is from Tuborg, and there’s an entire celebration around its annual release.
J-Day, as its known, is the momentous occasion when at exactly 8:59 p.m. on the first Friday of November, the 140-year old Tuborg Brewery releases Julebryg (Christmas Brew), the high-octane libation that will fuel most holiday festivities in the country for the next six weeks. And then it's gone. Despite having such a short lifespan, this strong, dark pilsner (5.6 percent alcohol by volume) with aromas of "licorice and black currant" is Denmark's fourth best selling beer, and J-Day is far and away the biggest day of the year for Tuborg, which is now owned by the Carlsberg Group. When "the snow falls tonight," as the slogan goes, Danes will pack the bars and spill into the streets. They'll sing and dance and wear silly hats provided free from Tuborg, all for the chance to get a first taste and welcome the season with a hardy "Skål!
Incredible.
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This week, paid subscribers get a Q&A about Hawaii travel. Should you go? How can you be a better traveler once there? Plus a layover guide to Amsterdam. In your inboxes tomorrow.
Reading List
As worries mount in queer clubs, Gen Z just wants joy Such gorgeous, happy photos. They’ll make you smile and then feel rage that fear has to invade these scenes. Donate to the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence here. Contact your representatives and ask for gun reform for Christmas.
How the story of soccer became the story of everything
The Dead Sea is dying. These photos show the impact.
On knowing your limits in nature. “Glacier National Park is dangerous,” she said. “And every year, there are fatalities. Climbing accidents, deadly encounters with animals. Some of you have experience in nature. Some of you are new to it. Either way, statistically, one of you will die this summer.”
Olive oil has never needed a rebrand–but it’s getting one anyway
Meghann Fahy stans out over Eminem. Love her. Love everything about this.
Indonesia outlaws sex outside of marriage. Curious how this will impact tourism.
Look at these amazing snowflake photos!
Extreme heat will change us (one of those great scrolly stories)
South Korea has almost zero food waste. Here’s how the U.S. can learn.
It’s a miracle your favorite local bar still exists.
Someone make a holiday movie about this! ⬇️
Other things:
Watch: Morocco win the World Cup (I hope! 🇲🇦)
Read: Currently reading “Men We Reaped,” by Jesmyn Ward. But this is more on theme.
Drink: Mulled wine, of course. But this is another go-to cold weather drink.
Do: My brother and I spent a few afternoons playing Golf, an easy way to get into Hygge. Pairs well with a Christmas drink and this playlist.
Thank you for reading! If you liked the newsletter today, please pass it to someone you know who’d enjoy it, and tap the heart icon above, which helps me reach more readers. Paid subscribers–back in your inbox tomorrow with how to be a better traveler in Hawaii.
–Rebecca 💛
P.S. Yesssss. Something people really don’t understand until they’re here.
Thanks for the hygge lesson. And those sandwiches look amazing!