When traveling to new countries, the trend is to buy souvenirs for friends, family, and of course for yourself. The problem is what kind of souvenir to take home. Well, when you come to Denmark or if you are just looking for good Danish souvenirs, I have a couple of suggestions that have been winning for many of my friends and family. Below is a list of my favorite Danish souvenirs.
Souvenirs are only appreciated if the person you are gifting them to has been to Denmark or cares about the place. Many of the keepsakes, such as memorial plates, ashtrays, etc., will be left on the shelf by your family and will mean “nothing” to them. They will only mean something to you, because you visited Denmark. I always suggest taking home interesting food products that are not available at home. Here are some fun and tasty treats to go:
1. Flødeboller: They are chocolate covered marshmallow cream balls on a cookie base. They are popular on top of ice cream, but can be eaten alone. You can get them at almost every grocery store for around 15-20 crowns for a box of 12 and I have yet to find someone who doesn’t love them.
2. “Pålægschokolade” – Comes in a small box with approximately 30 pieces in each box. Again, it can be found in all grocery stores. They are thin slices of chocolate and are often served on warm, freshly baked bread. If the bread is warm, the chocolate will melt on the bread. If the bread is not freshly baked, you can toast the bread and place it on the toast when finished. You can even gently heat the bread and chocolate in an oven (don’t microwave … it ruins the flavor). It is not necessary to heat the chocolate; it can be eaten at room temperature and will still taste great. Come on, where else do people eat chocolate sandwiches? I always send boxes of these to friends who visit me. They stock up here and write to me and ask me to send them some boxes every two months.
3. Candy: Licorice is of course the natural choice if your friends / family like licorice. If not, get some other great treats. You really should go to Nørregade in Copenhagen and buy “bolcher”, which is the Danish word for sweets, from the BEST bolcher factory / shop in Denmark. It’s called Nørregade Bolcher and it’s located in Nørregade (right next to Nørreport train station … a 2 minute walk). There you can not only watch them make the sweets, but you can choose your own combination of the different types of bolcher from the store displays. It’s reminiscent of one of the old American soda fountain shops / 5 and 10 cent stores where they had all kinds of different candies in little jars with balls for you to choose from. Even if you don’t like sweets, it is a great place to visit as a tourist. I love the smells and the atmosphere. Delicious!
4. Kitchen accessories: look in places like Illums. It is quite expensive, but there are some interesting things. Accessories can also be found at places like Kop og Kande and Inspiration for a little less. Only original designs that make any home or kitchen look DANISH! Denmark is famous for its unique and stylish kitchen utensils, and they are well designed to last.
Avoid all souvenir plates, unless your family / friends collect things like that. Also note that the Stroeget is a great place to shop, but its prices are much higher than those in the suburbs. A 10 minute walk to Vesterbrogade or Norrebrogade can put you in the suburbs where the same shops are, but with better prices. Remember to spend wisely, because it is not cheap. 🙂