Denmark and Butter: A Love Story

Denmark and Butter: A Love Story

Author: Kay Xander Mellish April 10, 2023 Duration: 6:16

The hottest competitive sport in Denmark over the past year hasn't been handball, or football, or badminton. It's been chasing cheap butter in the supermarket.

Recent inflation has doubled the price of butter – in some places, up to 30 kroner – but if you rush, you can get…a package of butter for 10 kroner at one supermarket…wait, only three packages per customer…hey, this competing supermarket has matched the price…look, this other one has it for only 5 kroner…ohhhhhh, it's sold out for today. Better come earlier tomorrow.

Butter chasing is how even high-achieving, high-earning Danes have been spending their time. Nobody wants to pay 30 kroner for butter.

-----

Butter is a part of the Danish soul. The Danish word for butter is smør…you might be familiar with smørrebrød, the famous open-faced Danish sandwiches. Smørrebrød means buttered bread.

So even though inflation has hit Denmark recently just like everyplace else in the world, supermarkets use low, low butter prices to bring in customers who will buy their other goods.

Butter is big business in Denmark – it is one of the world's top 10 butter exporters – and dairy in general is a big part of the traditional Danish diet.

There used to be corner shops called mejeri, dairy shops, that only sold dairy goods and eggs.

Evolutionists would tell you that Scandinavians evolved to get more Vitamin D from food, since they don't get much from the sun for most of the year.

-----

If you're learning Danish, look up all the expressions that begin with the word "smør." I counted about 30 in Den Danske Ordbog, Denmark's official online dictionary.

One well-known expression is smørgris – butter pig. That's someone who loves butter so much that they eat great amounts of it, with gusto.

Or smørhul, butter hole. A butter hole takes its name from the hole in the middle of a bowl of oatmeal. You make a hole so you can put the butter inside.

But smørhul has a bigger meaning.

A "butter hole" or smørhul, is a way to describe a very nice place, safe from the tumultuous world around it.

A "butter hole" is the way many Danes see Denmark itself.

 

This is the 121th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023.

Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.


For anyone curious about or currently navigating Danish life from the outside, How to Live in Denmark serves as an essential, on-the-ground guide. Hosted by Kay Xander Mellish, an American writer who has made Denmark her home for over ten years, this conversation cuts straight to the heart of the everyday realities in one of the world's most homogenous-and often puzzling-societies. Rather than lengthy lectures, you'll find concise, ten-minute episodes packed with practical advice and cultural translation. This isn't just about travel tips; it's a deep dive into the unspoken rules of Danish social etiquette, the nuances of the local workplace, and the sometimes surprising path to feeling at home in a country frequently labeled the world's happiest. Mellish draws from her own long-term experience to explain everything from navigating the infamous Jantelov to understanding the Danish approach to business meetings and casual Friday night hygge. As Denmark's longest-running English-language podcast, it has become a trusted resource for internationals, whether they are planning a move, newly arrived, or have been settled for years but still occasionally find themselves wondering, "Why do Danes do it that way?" Each episode feels like a chat with a well-informed friend who helps decode the complexities of a fascinating culture, making your time there richer and a lot less confusing.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

How to Live in Denmark
Podcast Episodes
Queen Margrethe, Denmark's good-humored, much-loved monarch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:00
No matter how they feel about the institution of royalty, almost everyone likes Denmark's Queen Margrethe, who is celebrating 50 years on the throne this week. Every New Year's Eve, the streets of Denmark go quiet as the…
The Non-Drinkers' Guide to Danish Christmas parties [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:03
Drinking, and drinking heavily, is common in Denmark at holiday time. Whether it's the traditional "gløgg" - hot spiced wine with nuts, orange peel and a little brandy - or the specially-made (and specially-strong) Chris…
Denmark's Big and Wonderful Second Hand Economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:13
Denmark has a thriving second-hand economy, in part because people generally don't look down on second-hand goods here. The Danes are practical people – why should something be thrown out when it can be used again? And t…
On the Road: The Tunnel to Germany [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:54
Getting to Sweden from Copenhagen is easy: you take a quick trip across the Øresund Bridge in your car or on the train. Getting to Norway from Copenhagen isn't too hard: there's a ferry that runs every day from Nordhavn.…
On the Road: Riding Copenhagen's big yellow "Harbor Bus" ferry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:06
One of Denmark's cheapest and most colorful vacations is a few hours riding back and forth on Copenhagen's big yellow Harbor Bus, or "Havnebussen", a commuter ferry designed to transport ordinary citizens between downtow…
On the Road in Denmark: Esbjerg, Ribe, and Fanø [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:46
When I mentioned going to Esbjerg for a few days off this spring, many of my friends in Copenhagen said - why? Esbjerg doesn't have a reputation as a vacation spot, even though its fifth-largest city in Denmark and the y…
Saving money in Denmark: How to get around for less [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:29
No matter what the tourist brochures suggest, you probably won't go *everywhere* on a bike in Denmark. And along with food and housing, getting around is a big part of the cost of living in Denmark. Here are a few tips t…
Saving money on food in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:43
Anyone who has spent time living in Denmark knows that it's one of the most expensive countries around. That's true when it comes to food shopping, too. One Dane who had lived in the US explained it this way: "In Denmark…
Books about Denmark from the second hand store [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:33
I love old books. I love the kind of old books you get at antique bookstores or on the Internet Archive. And I have a good collection of old books about Denmark. I like old travel guides, most of which are still pretty u…
Practical tips for moving to Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:19
While I'm not an authority on the Danish visa or immigration systems, I'm often asked for practical tips about moving to Denmark. So here are a few things to think about when you're packing your suitcases or, if you're d…