Three weeks ago we had hail stones and sleet, and hard frost during the night. Last weekend that all changed and yesterday afternoon (a bog standard Tuesday) our local beach was packed and the temperature was 20c/68f. Welcome to Denmark! (Though, of course, the water is still cold – 11c/52f – so me and my fellow Winter Bathing Belles were the only ones who were actually swimming in the sea…)
The warm weather brings Danes on to the beach, bikepaths and sidewalk cafés. And gives them a craving for that first ‘taste’ of summer – koldskål. Which means that the sales of koldskål rocket. Which in turn means that [gasp] when I tried to buy some this morning at the supermarket, the fridge section was completely wiped out! So it’s either make your own (homemade koldskål recipe is here) or make do with the (vastly inferior) longlife stuff. Boo hoo! 😉
So what on earth is it? The Danes have been eating koldskål for over a hundred years. Personally, I love the name. Kold = Cold. Skål = Bowl. Koldskål = Cold bowl! It’s traditionally made with buttermilk, raw eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon. Today you buy it readymade from the supermarket. And the Danes buy lots of it. Millions and millions of liters of it during the summer months. When the temperatures start to rise, so do the sales of koldskål… As I found out this morning at the supermarket, there is often a problem keeping up with demand.
And what does it taste like? Hmm, even though I’m a ‘Dairy Queen’ (pass the cream, please, and yes, I’ll have a little bread with my butter), koldskål is definitely an acquired taste. A weird mixture of sweet and sour. But a very ‘fresh’ taste. It looks like thin yoghurt and you normally serve it in a bowl and throw a handful of little crispy biscuits called kammerjunkere (available from the supermarket or bakers) over the top. Or a few sliced strawberries.
You can eat it for lunch or dinner. Or as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Or drop the kammerjunkere competely and just drink it straight out of a glass. Some people even eat it for breakfast. In our house we usually eat it after dinner, for dessert. My daughter aged 14 is addicted to it – so I had better find a new pusher soon!
Velbekomme! 😀
Diane 🙂
Looks like a fantastic day for the beach!I did finish your book a few days ago and you definitely deserve a two thumbs up:) It was so descriptive and I truly could picture everything as I was reading.Hopefully another will be in the making soon,what a fantastic read!! Have a great weekend . Lori from Ohio
Oh wow, Lori! I'm so honoured that a) you bought the book, b) made it through to the end, and c) enjoyed it! <3 Yes, I'm already working on the second in the series (aiming for 6!), and the next one is based on spring in Strandvig. Plus a dead body – selvfølgelig! Thanks so much for your lovely comment! 🙂
By the way, Lori – I did some extensive rewrites on the final chapters (with a very clear rundown of who/how/why) so, if it was the Kindle version you have, make sure to get the free update! 🙂
Hi, I just came across this website today, and it is very interesting to read about your experience with koldskål. I grew up with it and I never thought about the weird mix of sweet and sour tast, but you are right! You have changed my view on koldskål:-) All the best!
Diane!
So happy to see you are at blogging!! I have missed your writing and just today thought I would check..what a great surprise! Will be ordering your book soon..greetings from Wisconsin, where Spring took a long time in coming this year!
Hi Diane! greetings from Mexico. I'm reading this blog of yours because I suddenly fell into this site when finding articles about Danish lifestyle on the web. I hope one day I can travel to Denmark and taste this magical and good looking drink.
Kind regards!