Mad World

Once a foodie wasteland, Copenhagen is today a major gastronomic destination.

It is, of course, the epicentre of New Nordic cuisine — the culinary movement that championed hyper-local, seasonal ingredients and elevated foraging and fermentation to art forms.

But it’s also a global food city — one where savvy diners can find everything from Surinamese peanut soup to Ethiopian injera, Vietnamese banh mi to Cantonese dim sum.

Even the local government has gone gourmet. There are honey bees on the roof of one town hall, a gin distillery in the basement of another.

In this episode, we take a close look at the Copenhagen food scene — and discuss how it’s changed, why it matters, and where it could be going next.

Up first is American journalist Lisa Abend, who writes about current affairs, culture and food for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Time magazine, among others.

Then we meet Nick Curtin, Andrew Valenzuela, and Camilla Hansen — the co-founders of Alouette, which was awarded a Michelin star within a year of opening in a former envelope factory in Islands Brygge.

Finally, we discuss the intersection of food and theatre with Rasmus Munk, the head chef and founder of Alchemist, and its dramaturge Louise Knudsen.

Listen via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.