Pølse: The Danish National Street Food

Finally, I couldn’t leave without trying one of Denmark’s most popular food: pølse (hot dog or sausage).

After visiting the Rundetårn (Round Tower), we continued strolling the Strøget – Copenhagen’s pedestrian/shopping area – and noticed the many street carts  along the way. I was told about the popularity of the pølsevogn (sausage wagon), but I didn’t realize the amazing abundance. The majority of the carts were serving hot dogs to hungry Danes at lunchtime and throughout the day.

I discovered that the pølse is considered a Danish national dish, and the pølsevogn has been offering them since 1910. Yes, a pølse is a common street food lunch, and the Danes (men and women) enjoy them throughout the town.

In my hunt for one of the best pølse, I was advised to look for the street carts of DØP; which stands for Den Økologiske Pølsemand (The Organic Sausage Man). The DØP’s concept is to make the traditional street food using only organic ingredients, offering a high quality pork and beef wiener.

The concept of fresh, quality and local ingredients is highly encouraged in modern Danish cuisine, and the pølse is no exception. In fact, many pølsevogn can be found competing with each other for the highest quality product.

Serving options: The grilled pølse is typically served in a fresh, warm sourdough bun. The Ristet is sliced on top (like the typical hot dog) and topped with pickled cucumber, onions, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade sauce (of mayo, pickle and herb). You can also order the Fransk: one that the dog and condiments are inserted into a hollowed bun. Both pictured below. (Teens can giggle now.)

Having a pølse with the locals was a perfect end to my Copenhagen visit.