smørrebrød

See also: smorrebrod and smörrebröd

English

A selection of Danish smørrebrøds. Here dark rye bread covered with salmon topped with either remoulade or prawns. In the background are other kinds.

Alternative forms

• smorrebrod, smörrebröd

Etymology

From Danish smørrebrød.

Noun

smørrebrød (plural smørrebrød or smørrebrøds)

1. An open-faced sandwich that usually consists of a piece of buttered rye bread, topped with commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes.
   • 1968, Eleanor B. Pierce, Menu Translator: Pan Am’s Guide to Food and Drink Specialties Abroad and at Home, Pan American Airways, page 24:

     Danish cities are full of shops with colorful smørrebrøds where you can inexpensively buy an assortment to eat in the park on a nice day.

   • 2011, Jack Challem, No More Fatigue: Why You’re So Tired and What You Can Do About It, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., →ISBN, page 168:

     Two or three smørrebrøds are commonly served as breakfast in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

   • 2011, Amy C. Rea, Backroads & Byways of Minnesota: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions, The Countryman Press, →ISBN, page 199:

     Next door to the Commonweal is Kari’s, which has somewhat erratic hours (be sure to check before planning a trip there) and serves Scandinavian gourmet food, like Norwegian meatballs with lingonberries and a variety of smørrebrøds.

   • 2023, Nichole Accettola, “How to Make and Eat Smørrebrød: A Master Class in Layering”, in Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, New York, N.Y.: Ten Speed Press, →ISBN, page 200:

     It is no exaggeration to say that smørrebrød, or open-faced sandwiches, are the classic Danish dish. […] Smørrebrød are served across all strata of society, from extremely fancy restaurants to working-class lunch counters, where they often come accompanied by a fist-size meatball or a fried fish cake.

Translations

open-faced sandwich topped with cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes

• Danish: smørrebrød (da) n
• Swedish: smörrebröd (sv) n

Further reading

• Smørrebrød on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Danish

Etymology

From smør og brød, lit. "bread and butter".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /smœrəbrøːˀð/, [ˈsmɶɐˌb̥ʁœðˀ]

Noun

smørrebrød n (singular definite smørrebrødet, not used in plural form)

1. (uncountable) bread (an open faced sandwich containing an assortment of fillings)

Declension

Declension of smørrebrød

neuter gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	smørrebrød	smørrebrødet
genitive	smørrebrøds	smørrebrødets

Related terms

• (Swedish) smörgås

References

• “smørrebrød” in Den Danske Ordbog