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(Photo courtesy of cyclonebill at Flickr<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a> license.)<\/p><\/div>\n S\u00f8nderjylland <\/b>\u2013 the southernmost part of Jutland \u2013 is known for its s\u00f8nderjysk kaffebord<\/b> (Southern Jutish \u201dcoffee table\u201d), a cake extravaganza made in heaven. I met two women with S\u00f8nderjylland roots, Ditte and Marie, for a talk about the unique tradition.<\/p>\n M: <\/b>Back in the day when the Prussians took over S\u00f8nderjylland, the Danes used to gather around the kaffebord<\/b>. And it became a tradition to gather in private homes and bring your own cakes.<\/p>\n D:<\/b> They weren\u2019t allowed to hold public meetings with alkohol <\/b>consumption.<\/p>\n M: <\/b>Then during WW2 it was resumed \u2013 again because people weren\u2019t allowed to hold meetings. But is was okay to gather around kaffebordet<\/b>, so that\u2019s what people did, bringing at least one kage <\/b>(cake). The tradition I know says that there should be at least 7 bl\u00f8de<\/b> (soft), 7 t\u00f8rre<\/b> (dry) and 7 h\u00e5rde <\/b>(hard) kager<\/b>.<\/p>\n Marie and Ditte during the interview. (Photo by the blogger.)<\/p><\/div>\n D:<\/b> You often start with a bolle<\/b> (bun) with a load of sm\u00f8r <\/b>(butter) and a g\u00e6rkringle<\/b> (yeast pretzel). Then you proceed to the sk\u00e6rekager<\/b> (hard cakes that are sliced with a knife), since they\u2019re a bit dry and your mouth has already been \u201dwetted\u201d with all the butter. Afterwards, it\u2019s time for the lagkager<\/b> (layer cakes). They\u2019re supposed to be big and crazy like the br\u00f8dtorte<\/b>, which is made of Danish rugbr\u00f8d<\/b> (rye bread). Finally you go for the sm\u00e5kager<\/b> (cookies), which you dip in kaffen<\/b> (the coffee).<\/p>\n M: <\/b>Traditionally you just cherrypicked from everything \u2013 so you needed to bring four tallerkner <\/b>(plates) and a good gaffel<\/b> (fork) in order to taste it all!<\/p>\n D: <\/b>You had<\/i> to taste it all. It was a way for husm\u00f8drene<\/b> (the housewives) to show off their kitchen skills. It became a prestigeprojekt.<\/b><\/p>\n Where can a kaffebord be experienced today?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n M: <\/b>It\u2019s kind of turned into a public event at places such as Gram Slot<\/b> (Gram Castle), where all the old rules are followed. It has in a way become something extraordinary. When the bedstem\u00f8dre<\/b> (grandmothers) of our generation invited people over for s\u00f8ndagskaffe<\/b> (Sunday coffee), it always included boller, sk\u00e6rekage, lagkage, sm\u00e5kager<\/b>\u2026<\/p>\n D:<\/b> My grandmother celebrated her 90th<\/sup><\/span> birthday last year \u2013 and we were 14 persons. We had two layer cakes, two sk\u00e6rekager <\/b>or t\u00e6rter<\/b> (tarts), a s\u00f8sterkage<\/b> (\u201dsister cake\u201d) and various kinds of sm\u00e5kager<\/b>. So we still dish up with a lot of style! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Who does the baking?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D: <\/b>In this case, my tanter<\/b> (aunts) did.<\/p>\n M:<\/b> I imagine it\u2019s mostly the hosts. It\u2019s hard to transport anything larger than sm\u00e5kager.<\/b><\/p>\n D:<\/b> Since the tradition has moved from forsamlingshusene<\/b> (public meeting houses) to private hjem<\/b> [yemm] (homes), I also think that the individual hostess has been the chief baker.<\/p>\n So, before WW2 the kaffebord could also be at the forsamlingshus?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D: <\/b>Yes. It all started around 1864 [when Denmark lost its southernmost part to Prussia]. People gathered in the forsamlingshus<\/b> and they were not allowed to drink alcohol\u2026 Normally, a s\u00f8nderjysk kaffebord<\/b> concludes with a kaffepunch<\/b> (coffee punch).<\/p>\n M:<\/b> As I\u2019ve heard the story, you put a m\u00f8nt<\/b> (coin) into a cup\u2026 You need som really strong coffee for this. You pour the coffee into the cup until you can\u00a0 <\/span>no longer see the coin. Then you pour in snaps<\/b> until the coin becomes visible again, and add some sugar to taste.<\/p>\n On which days does a kaffebord take place?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n M: <\/b>Traditionally the purpose was to meet and talk. Nowadays I think it\u2019s mostly done in connection with familiesammenkomster<\/b> (family gatherings).<\/p>\n D:<\/b> Yes, all the small landsbyer<\/b> (villages) used to have a sogneg\u00e5rd<\/b> (parish community centre) and a forsamlingshus <\/b>\u2013 which was the place to meet people in a small community.<\/p>\n M<\/b>: Later all the families in a particular town invited each other by turns, I think.<\/p>\n A kaffebord also has something to do with coffee, right?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D:<\/b> Sure, huge amounts of coffee are always drunk by the guests \u2013 real <\/i>coffee, that is. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n In your opinion, what\u2019s the best thing abut this tradition?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n D: <\/b>I think the best part is that you kind of have <\/i>to taste a bit of everything. At other gatherings you\u2019re expected to be restrained and showcase your modesty\u2026 But not at a s\u00f8nderjysk kaffebord! \ud83d\ude42<\/b><\/p>\n M: <\/b>I remember a thing my late grandmother used to say\u2026 If you didn\u2019t serve yourself a second time, she\u2019d be like: \u201dMen kan du ikke li\u2019 det?<\/b>\u201d (But don\u2019t you like it?) It was a forn\u00e6rmelse<\/b> (insult) not to take a lot! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" S\u00f8nderjylland \u2013 the southernmost part of Jutland \u2013 is known for its s\u00f8nderjysk kaffebord (Southern Jutish \u201dcoffee table\u201d), a cake extravaganza made in heaven. I met two women with S\u00f8nderjylland roots, Ditte and Marie, for a talk about the unique tradition. M: Back in the day when the Prussians took over S\u00f8nderjylland, the Danes used…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2018\/01\/IMG_1220-350x262.png\")