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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Gudhjem
Rye bread with smoked herring, raw egg yolk, radish, chives and onion: the smokehouses’ dish from Bornholm. The name means sun over Gudhjem, and the yolk plays the role of the sun over the village where the island’s first smokehouse opened.
Traditional dish from Gudhjem, Região da Capital
Also known as: Sun over Gudhjem, sol over Gudhjem smørrebrød
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Sol over Gudhjem — Gudhjem, Denmark
Sol over Gudhjem is a smørrebrød from Bornholm, the Danish island in the Baltic Sea. On buttered rugbrød goes a smoked herring, boned and skinless, and on top a raw egg yolk, sometimes set inside a ring of onion, with sliced radish and chopped chives. The yellow yolk is the sun of the name; Gudhjem is the fishing village on the island’s north coast.
The dish originated from the tradition of smoking fish. It is said that Scottish soldiers stationed on Christiansø, a nearby islet, smoked fish there in the first half of the 19th century, and the method reached Bornholm. The island’s first smokehouse (røgeri) opened in Gudhjem in 1866, and the village had so many it earned the nickname town of a hundred chimneys.
The herring is hung in the wide white chimneys of the smokehouses, over alder embers. First it dries for about two hours above the flames; then the fire is smothered and the fish spends another two hours in dense smoke. The result is a golden, tender, slightly salty herring, served still warm at the smokehouse itself.
Bornholm’s smokehouses usually operate from Easter through autumn, with a restaurant and shop beside the chimneys, and serve Sol over Gudhjem along with smoked salmon, mackerel and other smoked fish. Since 2009 the name has also titled a chefs’ competition held in June at Gudhjem harbor, dedicated to Bornholm products.
The yolk is raw: if you prefer to avoid raw egg you can ask for it without the yolk, although the dish then loses its “sun.”
Gudhjem , Região da Capital
Dish of Bornholm’s smokehouses, bearing the name of the village Gudhjem.
Rye bread (rugbrød), butter, smoked herring, raw egg yolk, radish, chives and onion; sometimes coarse salt and pepper.
With knife and fork, breaking the yolk over the herring; commonly accompanied by cold beer.
Mainly from Easter through autumn, when Bornholm’s smokehouses are open; the chefs’ competition of the same name takes place in June in Gudhjem.
Your questions
An open sandwich typical of Bornholm, with smoked herring and a raw egg yolk on top that serves as the sun.
At Bornholm’s herring smokehouses, which usually operate from Easter through autumn. Confirm opening hours before you go.
Because the village of Gudhjem had Bornholm’s first smokehouse in 1866, and at one time was called the town of a hundred chimneys.
Flavors of Denmark
Soft little dough balls fried in a cast-iron pan with round cavities and served with powdered sugar and jam. Despite the name, which means apple slices, they generally do not contain apple: they are the Danish Advent and Christmas sweet.
Nordic spirit flavored with caraway and, sometimes, dill, served chilled in small glasses at Danish celebratory lunches, alongside herring and beer. In Denmark, the drink’s industrial history is linked to Aalborg.
Flattened meat patties made from ground meat, typically half pork and half veal, fried in butter until a crust forms. They are homestyle food across Denmark, served with potatoes, a dark gravy and pickles or cabbage.
Hot sausages served in a bun from the pølsevogne, the hot‑dog carts that have operated in Danish cities since 1921, with mustard, ketchup, remoulade, fried onion and pickled cucumber slices. The first carts appeared in Copenhagen.
Cold rice pudding with whipped cream, chopped almonds and vanilla, served with warm cherry sauce at the end of the Christmas dinner. A whole almond is hidden in the serving dish, and whoever finds it receives a gift.
Thickened compote of red fruits such as strawberry, raspberry, currant and cherry, served cold with cream or milk. It’s the classic Danish summer dessert, and the name is famously hard to pronounce.
A slice of rye bread with butter and a generous, carefully arranged topping, eaten with fork and knife. It’s Denmark’s traditional lunch, and the tall, decorated version became famous in Copenhagen restaurants in the late 19th century.
Slices of pork belly fried until crispy, served with boiled potatoes and a white parsley sauce. It was chosen as Denmark’s national dish in a vote held by the Ministry of Food in 2014.
Honey and spice cakes made from a dough that rests for months before baking, often coated in chocolate. They have been produced in Christiansfeld, the Moravian Church town, since 1783, with recipes kept secret.
Sweet yeast pastries with layers of butter, shaped as a snail, bow, braid or envelope, filled with custard, remonce or fruit. The first Viennese bakery in Denmark opened in Copenhagen in the 1840s, and the city became associated with the pastry the world calls Danish pastry.
Soft yeast cake topped with a layer of melted butter and brown sugar that forms syrupy pools on the surface. It is regarded as the cake of Fyn, and the earliest records are from Odense, in 1830.
