Danish Food Vocabulary: Important Culinary Terms From Denmark

If something’s rotten in the state of Denmark, it’s certainly not the food. Denmark, and Copenhagen in particular, is known for its bustling markets, where vendors offer fresh seafood, meats, vegetables and more. Danish food tends to be pretty healthy, and is always delicious. 

Be sure to learn these Danish food and drink words to expand your vocabulary and make any upcoming trips to Denmark — or a Scandinavian food hall near you — all the more exciting. Study the vocabulary below, and press the play button to hear how each word is pronounced.

Danish Meal-Related Words

To eat — at spise

To drink — at drikke

A restaurant — en restaurant

A menu — en menu

A breakfast — en morgenmad

A dinner — en middag

A starter — en forret

A main course — en hovedret

A dessert — en dessert

A bill — en regning

A waiter — en tjener

A vegetarian — en vegetar

Danish Food Words

A soup — en suppe

A loaf of bread — et brød

Pasta — pasta

Rice — ris

A potato — en kartoffel

A fruit — en frugt

A cucumber — en agurk

Beef — oksekød

Pork — svinekød

Poultry — fjerkræ

A steak — en steak

A fish — en fisk

Danish Drink Words

A drink — en drik

A mineral water — en danskvand

Tap water — postevand

A juice — en juice

A soft drink — en læskedrik

A coffee — en kaffe

A tea — en te

A beer — en øl

A wine — en vin