danish food week, day 2: stikkelsbær

October 4, 2011
stikkelsbær | gooseberries
Gooseberries! If you're anything like me, you'll have had no idea what these were. For a long time, I wasn't really sure that gooseberries actually existed because a) I'd only heard of them in story books and b) I'd never seen them in real life.
wild berry tart
Until Denmark! Luciano and Maibritt had a gooseberry bush growing in their backyard and during my week there, we went out to pick as many berries as we could 2-3 times (always coming back with overflowing bowls). Maibritt-- being the amazing cook she is-- cooked some into a double berry tart (does anyone know what this berry is called?), homemade jam, and rødgrød (coming soon).
homemade jam
made by maibritt
I'm not sure if it's fair to call gooseberries Danish, but, the wild berries I ate there were a huge part of my culinary experience. Whether we found berries in the forest or the backyard, whether they were baked into something or eaten fresh-- they were always delicious. And they'll always remind me of Denmark.
picked straight from the backyard
Banner decals courtesy of Pugly Pixel.

9 comments:

  1. I thought gooseberries were a fictitious fruit, as well! That pie looks too good for words (is it even pie?).

    This is what I look forward to when I travel-the different foods and dishes. I am constantly amazed by the variety of fruits and veggies there are on this planet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. YUM. I was also not sure gooseberries existed. Glad to hear they are delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wonder what these taste like! I like berries in general so I'd probably like these as well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. haha I cant believe I have not heard of these, especially being so close! They almost like like cherries

    ReplyDelete
  5. you're killin me, that sounds good!

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh gooseberries are so good! but i've only had them in specialty pastries, i've never seen the actual berry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. jillian-- it's a tart of some sort (it was completely flat)!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yum! the gooseberries look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  9. gooseberries are my favorites! i wish it was still summer!

    ReplyDelete