Rob Fink reveals what happened when he spotted someone eating the Danish bøfsandwich, in response to an article on the cultural links of food. The “chickpea trail”, as described by Federico De Blasi, is a wonderful example of historical cross-border cultural and trading links founded on food. But such links need not be ancient and can sometimes be newly forged.
A chance encounter with a gravy burger
A few years ago, Fink and his family went on holiday to Denmark. In between Legoland and the airport, they stopped at roadside services for lunch. As they ate their chicken and chips, Fink spotted a man eating what appeared to be an enormous burger covered in gravy – using a knife and fork, as to do otherwise would have been logistically challenging.
Discovering the bøfsandwich
Fink had always thought that gravy was a uniquely British invention and holidays to France, Spain and Italy had done nothing to change that view. However, after some quick Googling, he discovered that the man was eating a bøfsandwich, colloquially known as a “gravy burger”. This creation is local to Jutland, although is now spreading around Denmark and probably dates back to the 1950s. There is even an organisation, De Brune Riddere, which champions the bøfsandwich, and each year its annual awards, including for best gravy, are broadcast on Danish television.
Forging connections over gravy
Because there are few things more important than good gravy, Fink contacted the founder of De Brune Riddere, Lasse H Görlitz, and struck up a correspondence. Some months later, he found himself in a smoky pub in Aarhus, drinking Fernet-Branca with Lasse and some very friendly locals discussing gravy, Brexit, sausages and a lot of things that ultimately became a little too hazy to recall.
Looking ahead to Montreal
This year, Fink is looking forward to a holiday to Montreal, where he hopes to meet Thierry Rassam, the co-founder of La Poutine Week. “I don’t know if he likes Fernet-Branca, but I am sure he has opinions on gravy,” Fink wrote.
