The Danish Food Miracle
From brown gravy to world-class! This is the miraculous story of how Denmark became a gastronomic powerhouse - and what it cost along the way.
Episodes
Denmark is drowning in brown sauce and potatoes - until a vision of a New Nordic kitchen changes everything. Claus Meyer wants to revolutionize Danish food, both in restaurants and in the kitchens of Danes at home, and finds an unknown, uncompromising young chef in René Redzepi to help him. Together they create the restaurant Noma and the foundations for the gastronomic miracle that ends up making little Denmark one of the world's leading culinary countries.
Noma storms towards the stars and puts Denmark on the gastronomic world map, but behind the facade simmers a power struggle between the mastermind and the head chef. And while the financial crisis roars around the Danes, the Danish food scene and the New Nordic movement explode. Soon the Danes will revel in excellent restaurants - and several of them are even crowned the best in the world.
"You can damn well always become a chef!" people used to say - it was nothing special. But that's no longer the case - chefs have gone from being invisible craftsmen to being stars who take part in the cultural ballet of the royals. At the same time, Danish chefs like Rasmus Kofoed, Kenneth Toft-Hansen, and Rasmus Munk have been named the best in the world. But what does it cost to reach the top? Behind the success, there is often stress, anxiety, and a pressured working environment - but is that also starting to change?
The culinary miracle is spreading from Copenhagen's top restaurants to the whole country, where Michelin restaurants, sourdough bakers, and delicious takeaway are popping up everywhere. Danes' view of food has changed - but by how much? Rye bread meals are, after all, still the most eaten dinner at Danes' homes. And can Danish gastronomy even keep up the momentum in the future?
