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Scandinavian Comfort Food
The Scandinavians excel in comfort - family, friends, a good atmosphere, long meals, relaxation and an emphasis on simple pleasures. They even have a word for this kind of cosiness that comes with spending quality time in hearth and home when the days are hygge. Trine Hahnemann is the doyenne of Scandinavian cooking and loves nothing more than spending time in her kitchen cooking up comforting food in good company. This is her collection of recipes that will warm you up and teach you to embrace the art of hygge, no matter where you live.
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2017
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717 people want to read
About the author
Trine Hahnemann
19 books13 followersSome books were published under the name
Trina Hahnemann
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 17, 2021
This was interesting to look through. It didn't have as many recipes I am interested to try, but that's okay. The photography was okay, but not many pictured dishes really jumped out at me and said -- YOU MUST MAKE ME RIGHT NOW!
The cookbook author, a Dane, explained, sort of a philosophy of living and enjoyment called hygge. I'm paraphrasing a lot here, but it basically sounds like living to have a comfortable and inviting environment around you and that can sort of sink deep into your soul. That's probably not it, or maybe not it entirely, but that's sort of what I took from it. But that is why, it seems, the book is called "Scandinavian Comfort Food. It's not really "comfort food" as we would know it in the US. Or maybe it is, and it's just a different conception of what one feels as comfort whilst eating.
Anyway, the recipes focus a lot on vegetable based salads and vegetable dishes. The author makes a point of saying she really likes cooking vegetables. We'll see how I like some of these. I liked it because it gave me some new ideas on what to do with fish. I'm interested to try an egg and smoked mackerel open-faced sandwich or the pumpkin soup.
The cookbook author, a Dane, explained, sort of a philosophy of living and enjoyment called hygge. I'm paraphrasing a lot here, but it basically sounds like living to have a comfortable and inviting environment around you and that can sort of sink deep into your soul. That's probably not it, or maybe not it entirely, but that's sort of what I took from it. But that is why, it seems, the book is called "Scandinavian Comfort Food. It's not really "comfort food" as we would know it in the US. Or maybe it is, and it's just a different conception of what one feels as comfort whilst eating.
Anyway, the recipes focus a lot on vegetable based salads and vegetable dishes. The author makes a point of saying she really likes cooking vegetables. We'll see how I like some of these. I liked it because it gave me some new ideas on what to do with fish. I'm interested to try an egg and smoked mackerel open-faced sandwich or the pumpkin soup.
August 24, 2018
4.5 stars! I love this cookbook! We connect Scandinavian recipes with healthy, fresh and at times seasonal ingredients with all the cozy hygge feels. Having Nordic heritage and growing up in Minnesota these recipes truly feel like cozy home. The photos are stunning. Recipes are simple to follow if you have basic cooking skills. You may have to "translate" a bit if you aren't familiar with European cooking terms/ ingredients. I appreciate that she gives measurements and temperatures in the various ways so I don't have to figure that out. Occasionally she makes negative comments about modern cooking in a way where the tone didn't sit well with me. Otherwise I really like this library find and hope to add to my personal collection! I honestly would like to make every single recipe!
February 11, 2017
This cookbook claims it's Scandinavian, but it has a distinct focus on Danish food.
I thought the recipes were interesting, some a little odd with ingredients I would have to hunt for because we might not have ready access to them in the S.F. Bay Area.
The wording used was strange in places like to "laminate" something. I guess that could mean to cover something.
The photos were excellent and I would definitely enjoy eating anything served from this cookbook; I'm not sure I would go to the trouble of preparing any of these recipes.
I thought the recipes were interesting, some a little odd with ingredients I would have to hunt for because we might not have ready access to them in the S.F. Bay Area.
The wording used was strange in places like to "laminate" something. I guess that could mean to cover something.
The photos were excellent and I would definitely enjoy eating anything served from this cookbook; I'm not sure I would go to the trouble of preparing any of these recipes.
January 30, 2019
I loved this book enough to "read" it twice!! It's the most gorgeous book I've seen in years. I'd say the Art of Hygge was used when putting this great book together!! I read it once and then started to slowly go through every recipe, learning about the unique ingredients and wallowing in comfort foods and comfort surroundings suggested within. Looking forward to working my way through a majority of the recipes!
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November 5, 2022I feel a little odd counting a cookbook as one of my books, but I truly read it cover to cover. And truth be told, this was one of the coziest books I’ve read in a while.
January 10, 2021
So I got this book from the library and was excited about it being part of a pandemic winter of cooking and baking, but alas, I'm going to return it without actually trying to make anything, for two main reasons:
1) The more Scandinavian-specific recipes call for ingredients not commonly available in U.S. grocery stores or even at our local "Nordic Marketplace" here in Minneapolis (elderflower anything, gooseberries, rye flour and flakes, einkorn flour, fish like plaice and garfish, etc.), with no substitutions suggested. Many of her salads, soups, etc. seemed to me like the kind of recipes I've seen in American cookbooks, which probably reflects Western trends in cooking with fresh, local ingredients.
2) Because this book was published in the UK, they include both metric and imperial measures, e.g.:
10g/2 tsp butter
which actually makes the recipes hard to read. I do a lot of double-checking of amounts when I cook, and it would drive me crazy to have to read across all of those lines to get to the units I'm working in. Also, some ingredients are specified in ways Americans aren't used to thinking about them (floury potatoes, brown mushrooms).
The book is very attractive--as many other reviewers have noted, the photos, paper quality, etc. are lovely. Her interludes and recipe introductions are interesting to read. But it's telling that very few reviews mention actually cooking anything specific out of this book!
1) The more Scandinavian-specific recipes call for ingredients not commonly available in U.S. grocery stores or even at our local "Nordic Marketplace" here in Minneapolis (elderflower anything, gooseberries, rye flour and flakes, einkorn flour, fish like plaice and garfish, etc.), with no substitutions suggested. Many of her salads, soups, etc. seemed to me like the kind of recipes I've seen in American cookbooks, which probably reflects Western trends in cooking with fresh, local ingredients.
2) Because this book was published in the UK, they include both metric and imperial measures, e.g.:
10g/2 tsp butter
which actually makes the recipes hard to read. I do a lot of double-checking of amounts when I cook, and it would drive me crazy to have to read across all of those lines to get to the units I'm working in. Also, some ingredients are specified in ways Americans aren't used to thinking about them (floury potatoes, brown mushrooms).
The book is very attractive--as many other reviewers have noted, the photos, paper quality, etc. are lovely. Her interludes and recipe introductions are interesting to read. But it's telling that very few reviews mention actually cooking anything specific out of this book!
February 1, 2017
5 Yummy Comfort Food Stars
This cookbook was so beautiful to look at, the pictures where stunning. The recipes where easy enough to follow and the food is real comfort food. It was nice as I've never been to Scandinavian country but it was delightful to try foods from there. I'm really into soups at the moment, nothing better then a bowl of yummy soup on a cold evening. I cooked the Mushroom soup which turned out really well. I also gave some of the salads ago as well.
This is defiantly a cookbook I'd go back for again. I borrowed this from the library I work in and you can reserve it anywhere in Dublin. I'll put a link below.
http://www.southdublinlibraries.ie/
This cookbook was so beautiful to look at, the pictures where stunning. The recipes where easy enough to follow and the food is real comfort food. It was nice as I've never been to Scandinavian country but it was delightful to try foods from there. I'm really into soups at the moment, nothing better then a bowl of yummy soup on a cold evening. I cooked the Mushroom soup which turned out really well. I also gave some of the salads ago as well.
This is defiantly a cookbook I'd go back for again. I borrowed this from the library I work in and you can reserve it anywhere in Dublin. I'll put a link below.
http://www.southdublinlibraries.ie/
March 12, 2017
Beautiful book with lovely seasonal recipes, gorgeous design and photos. This book also really managed to underline the importance of family and friends in the art of hygge.
May 6, 2023
Foodie Friday Presents: “Scandinavian Comfort Food”
This is a fine book by Trine Hahnemann, with wonderful colours and captures by Columbus Leth (Photographer). However, it is not the recipes that captivated me. It was the Hygge behind the recipes that was entrapping.
In search of happiness? Food is not a substitute for happiness, but it can be a conduit to it. Let me explain my thinking: food is best when it is shared; sharing leads to relationships; relationships are fundamental to happiness, hence food is a conduit to happiness.
Years ago, we established a family pizza night – or should I say pizze, as one would never do, and there might be ½ to a dozen different types of pizze being offered: From cheese (no tomato – or pizza Bianca) to chicken with a hickory BBQ sauce; from potatoes with no tomatoes, or rosemary focaccia; sausage – spicy, jalapeno, mild, or my favourite Sicilian – to name but a few.
What does that have to do with a Scandinavian Comfort Food cookbook – not much with the recipes, but absolutely everything with the concept of Hygge, sharing, breaking bread (which pizza is) and building relationships. All in cozy comfort and in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere – an Italian Barolo doesn’t hurt, but some Argentine Malbecs or Sicilian nero d'avola do just as well – at a very Hygge fraction of the price.
The subtitle of the book is, “Embracing the Art of Hygge.” The book is very Hygge. You see Hygge is not about spending. It is about creating values. Not value but values. Values that can be shared, and can become a conduit to happiness, or at the very least, contentment.
“Embracing the Art of Hygge.”
The author defines Hygge as “…often described as an idea, or concept, and in a way that is too limited. Hygge is much more than that. It is embedded in our culture in a very profound way, want there that is most evident is in the language. Hygge is, therefore, not defined by the place, but by what the atmosphere the place has got to offer, together with the companionship and situation.”
“Hygge is often described as an idea, or concept, and in a way that is too limited.”
And Hygge is not just for the Danes or other Scandinavian countries. Similar but distinct variations are practiced around the world, the Danes just seem to have made an artform of Hygge. Just as “there are these dishes that connect food cultures around the world, because most food culture evolve through exchange, such as trade, migration, and travel.” So is Hygge becoming another connector of humanity.
The book gives example of how to use rhubarb, including an interesting dish with “Roasted chicken with rhubarb and tarragon!!” It reminds to cook more duck (Duck legs with potatoes, apples and brown cabbage.” It has salads, soups, vegetables, deserts, and leads me to the conclusion: GET the book
Remember: “Eating is such a deep-rooted pleasure as soon as we human beings have passed beyond the necessity of surviving!”
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
Another Hygge share: https://linomatteo.wordpress.com/2023...
This is a fine book by Trine Hahnemann, with wonderful colours and captures by Columbus Leth (Photographer). However, it is not the recipes that captivated me. It was the Hygge behind the recipes that was entrapping.
In search of happiness? Food is not a substitute for happiness, but it can be a conduit to it. Let me explain my thinking: food is best when it is shared; sharing leads to relationships; relationships are fundamental to happiness, hence food is a conduit to happiness.
Years ago, we established a family pizza night – or should I say pizze, as one would never do, and there might be ½ to a dozen different types of pizze being offered: From cheese (no tomato – or pizza Bianca) to chicken with a hickory BBQ sauce; from potatoes with no tomatoes, or rosemary focaccia; sausage – spicy, jalapeno, mild, or my favourite Sicilian – to name but a few.
What does that have to do with a Scandinavian Comfort Food cookbook – not much with the recipes, but absolutely everything with the concept of Hygge, sharing, breaking bread (which pizza is) and building relationships. All in cozy comfort and in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere – an Italian Barolo doesn’t hurt, but some Argentine Malbecs or Sicilian nero d'avola do just as well – at a very Hygge fraction of the price.
The subtitle of the book is, “Embracing the Art of Hygge.” The book is very Hygge. You see Hygge is not about spending. It is about creating values. Not value but values. Values that can be shared, and can become a conduit to happiness, or at the very least, contentment.
“Embracing the Art of Hygge.”
The author defines Hygge as “…often described as an idea, or concept, and in a way that is too limited. Hygge is much more than that. It is embedded in our culture in a very profound way, want there that is most evident is in the language. Hygge is, therefore, not defined by the place, but by what the atmosphere the place has got to offer, together with the companionship and situation.”
“Hygge is often described as an idea, or concept, and in a way that is too limited.”
And Hygge is not just for the Danes or other Scandinavian countries. Similar but distinct variations are practiced around the world, the Danes just seem to have made an artform of Hygge. Just as “there are these dishes that connect food cultures around the world, because most food culture evolve through exchange, such as trade, migration, and travel.” So is Hygge becoming another connector of humanity.
The book gives example of how to use rhubarb, including an interesting dish with “Roasted chicken with rhubarb and tarragon!!” It reminds to cook more duck (Duck legs with potatoes, apples and brown cabbage.” It has salads, soups, vegetables, deserts, and leads me to the conclusion: GET the book
Remember: “Eating is such a deep-rooted pleasure as soon as we human beings have passed beyond the necessity of surviving!”
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
Another Hygge share: https://linomatteo.wordpress.com/2023...
January 8, 2017
It's a very pretty cookbook, with excellent photos of all the recipes, and has a great feel physically - the paper it's printed on is slightly heavier than normal and it has a nice thick cover.
Many of the recipes are simple, because it's a comfort food cookbook. Comfort food in Scandinavia is what it is in the US, meat and potatoes, sandwiches (open faced of course!), foods your Mom or Grandmom made for you. Soups and bread, because that is very Scandinavian.
I love it because being a Norwegian-American, the basics are familiar - meatballs, open face sandwiches, meatloaf, soups and breads - but the flavors and ingredients are unfamiliar.
As are some of the ingredients. Celeriac (celery root) and lingonberries may be hard to find in my working class city, but next spring I am looking forward to my rhubarb plant going bananas so I can try Roasted Chicken with Rhubarb and Tarragon. I don't think that combo would have occurred to me, but it sounds delicious!
This one will go into rotation in my kitchen, not on the shelf of fun inspirational but not all that functional ones!
Many of the recipes are simple, because it's a comfort food cookbook. Comfort food in Scandinavia is what it is in the US, meat and potatoes, sandwiches (open faced of course!), foods your Mom or Grandmom made for you. Soups and bread, because that is very Scandinavian.
I love it because being a Norwegian-American, the basics are familiar - meatballs, open face sandwiches, meatloaf, soups and breads - but the flavors and ingredients are unfamiliar.
As are some of the ingredients. Celeriac (celery root) and lingonberries may be hard to find in my working class city, but next spring I am looking forward to my rhubarb plant going bananas so I can try Roasted Chicken with Rhubarb and Tarragon. I don't think that combo would have occurred to me, but it sounds delicious!
This one will go into rotation in my kitchen, not on the shelf of fun inspirational but not all that functional ones!
February 9, 2018
The author is Danish, but she has such a wonderful philosophy on food and the whole food experience. So much of what is in this book is not the norm for me and what I eat, but she makes it sound so practical and delicious. So much of the Scandinavian diet is veggies and fish. I really love how she explains the point is to every recipe and how it is special. She also give some nuggets of trivia. The recipes themselves, some of them are really simple with not so many ingredients. While most of them seem to require so many ingredients to accomplish the end result. Would I use this book? Yes. Would I buy this book for myself or someone else? No, I would not.
September 27, 2017
Full of really yummy-looking recipes, from breakfast, lunch and dinner to preserves, desserts and breads. The photographs are beautiful and Hahnemann has a very friendly tone in her descriptions. The instructions seem quite clear and the list of ingredients has ingredients that are for the most part not too difficult to find. The biggest drawback for me is that most of the recipes don't have possible substitutes suggestions or any instructions on how to keep/store (mainly regarding the breads, etc.).
February 14, 2017
Lovely to look at, but perhaps too much of a cultural difference to want to dive in to all the recipes. (Lots and lots of smoked or pickled fish that I have no desire to seek out.)
I do wan to try my hand at making the Labskovs, basically steak mashed potatoes, The radicchio and blueberries salad, and the einkorn bread (if I can find out where to buy einkorn flour).
I do wan to try my hand at making the Labskovs, basically steak mashed potatoes, The radicchio and blueberries salad, and the einkorn bread (if I can find out where to buy einkorn flour).
April 1, 2017
This is a beautiful, clean, delicious cookbook. The pictures are amazing and the recipes are very inviting, especially when she puts the whole meal together for you. I love that it is a year round situation as well. Pages 86 & 87 are very motivating to not only follow this book, and enjoy how this woman writes but also to seek out anything else she's written, and also hyggelig your own life.
November 3, 2018
I hated the new age pseudo-science approach to organic food and nutrition. BUT, the bread chapter alone redeemed it. The recipes all look stunning and different from what you usually find (they also require some not so common ingredients).
Another plus: I dont think there is one recipe without a picture. The book looks great.
Another plus: I dont think there is one recipe without a picture. The book looks great.
December 12, 2016
Beautiful pictures and plenty of delightful recipes.
January 30, 2017
This is my favourite of Trine Hahnemann's books.....so far!
April 20, 2017
Yum! But I had to look up what a scorzonera was! Lots of recipes I want to try.
April 30, 2017
Interesting recipes that are beautifully photographed.
June 3, 2017
Left me hungry, inspired, and longing for a trip to Denmark. (Not to mention a bigger kitchen!)
November 24, 2017
Lovely, and fairly practical, even for American cooks. It is a little bit meat-heavy, however! I still look forward to trying a few of these recipes, however.
January 11, 2023
loved all the beautiful photos and the yummy recipes, but to much fish for my liking.
October 1, 2019
I haven't made any of the recipes yet. I'm not sure how comforting or hygge they are, either. This author seems to skip a lot of meals and have a very busy life -- neither of which appeals to me. The food is more modern Scandinavian and the tone of the essay sections is a bit bossy and condescending. Pictures are lovely, though.
March 1, 2022
The pictures were great and the recipes sounded good, but after I made a few I found them a lot of work for bland food. For example the Cauliflower Gratin—Whipping egg whites to mix in to the cauliflower? It wasn’t fluffier and still just tasted like plain old cauliflower.
October 17, 2019
Don't read this on an empty stomach! You will hear rumbly noises start to come from your tummbly, as Winnie-the-Pooh would say!
November 12, 2019
Some really good recipes!
June 25, 2021
Some winners, but mostly let down by requiring access to ingredients that aren't readily available in the US (yet), and also I didn't really jive with the organizational layout.
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December 14, 2017Beautiful book, interesting window into Danish culture/food. I'm not rating, as I haven't tried any of the recipes.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews