Food and Identity: BACON AND LIVER AND POMEGRANATE
smørrebrød: a slice or two of pålæg (filling or topping) is placed on buttered rye bread, and then pyntet (decorated) with the right accompaniments, to create a tasty and visually appealing food item
Commonly referred to as a Danish open faced sandwich, and the “must have” food item when immersing oneself into Danish culture.
Naturally, I chose the most (personally) disgusting combinations of filling on my smørrebrød from the Glass Market, going with a liver pate topped with a fruity (pomegranate?) seed, bacon, and sprigs of greens. I personally have no idea why I ordered this, as I dislike bacon and the texture of liver pate freaks me out. Nonetheless, I dove into the smørrebrød with an open mind.
In essence, I can appreciate the smørrebrød for its powerful mixture of flavors and texture- from the salty bacon crunching along a soft liver pate and the sweet bite the pomegranate provided.
I found it surprising that the Danish shop worker insisted I try this type of smørrebrød. I related it back to the idea that “our pleasure responses to taste are themselves complex cognitive responses that involve highly compressed symbolic recognition” (Korsmeyer, 2011). Basically, our taste comes from things in our brain that make us like or dislike something. When I saw the form of the “liver” and the bacon, my cognitive response was one of disgust. There is no biological reason to have an aversion to consuming an organ, yet I was feeling sick thinking about it. What cuisine is about is manipulating the product’s form so you forget where it comes from. By removing the animal nature of a “liver”, it seemed less like I was eating a liver and instead enjoying a creamy spread. Liver is a much more common topping to smørrebrød, whereas I never encounter liver in the US. Therefore, I was easily averted from the thought of enjoyment from this sandwich.
It was an experience I’m glad I had, but not something I would spend $7.23 on again. At the Glass Market where I purchased said sandwich, I also befriended these two men who worked at the fish stand. Later in the week, I purchased a delicious cut of salmon I prepared for dinner one night. It’s been enjoyable to immerse myself in the culture of this market.
The Glass Market is pictured below, past the crowds of people. There are two buildings you can walk around in, with fresh produce and plants between the buildings that you’re able to purchase. On a nice day like the day we went, it’s not uncommon to see many Danes hanging out, enjoying their food and company, as we did this day. I’m thankful for my liver/bacon/pomegranate creation for allowing me to go out of my comfort zone and feel a bit more immersed in Danish culture with every day I experience here.
Works Cited
Korsmeyer, C. (2011). Delightful, Delicious, Disgusting. Savoring Disgust, 61–86.
