Copenhagen Food

Winner of the Guild of Food Writers’ Best International/Regional Cookbook Award in 2019, this is Hahnemann’s love letter to her hometown. Equal parts city guide and cookbook, it weaves together 70 recipes with stories about Copenhagen’s bakeries, food markets, street food stalls, coffee roasters, and world-renowned restaurants. If Scandinavian Comfort Food is about the Danish kitchen, this book is about the Danish city that shaped it.

Why Consider This One

Where Scandinavian Comfort Food focuses inward on the home, Copenhagen Food looks outward at the culture and places that make Danish food what it is. Hahnemann has lived in Copenhagen for over forty years, and her knowledge of the city’s food scene is deeply personal. The book is as much about understanding why Danes eat the way they do as it is about specific recipes.

The 70 recipes are carefully chosen rather than exhaustive, which makes the book feel curated rather than overwhelming. You get Hahnemann’s favorites: open-faced sandwiches, pastries, seasonal salads, and dishes inspired by the restaurants and cafes she frequents. The writing is warm and personal, full of the kind of detail that only comes from decades of living in one place.

What to Expect

A 288-page hardcover with atmospheric photography of Copenhagen’s food landscape. The book reads more like a narrative than a traditional cookbook, with recipes embedded in essays about the city. Best suited for readers who want cultural context alongside their recipes, or anyone planning a food-focused trip to Copenhagen.