Once he holds a knife, this master chef can cook sushi, sashimi and all the different dishes from around the world. He has worked for fishery companies and has sailed across oceans in the world. I have a good friend called “unagi(eel)” from my university time in Japan. Now I might sound a bit too favorably biased, but Japanese and Danes share good chemistry for sustainable food culture. Maybe, that is why usually neither Danes nor Japanese eat baby eels as people in Spain do so in “ajillo” in hot garlic sauce. The recent sky-rocketing price of eel makes it even more precious delicacy. Thirdly, eel is delicacy both in Denmark and Japan. Secondly, although how to cook eel, either to grill with charcoal or to smoke with chips are different, Japanese and probably Danes enjoy flavor of eel while eating it. First of all, both of us put eel on the main staple. Whatever a right answer would be, I can see many common points (as well as differences) between Japanese grilled eel on rice (“unaju”) and Danish smoked eel on brown bread (“ål smørrebrød” ). There might be some different opinions on this question. Someone could tell me who tried to eat eels for the first time in Denmark and Japan. (*as a matter of fact, there are plenty of delicious dishes in Belgium.) I was too inexperienced to adjust myself to that eel.

To be frank, it had a bit different texture from what I had expected. Once I was working in Belgium and tried chopped eel in green soup. Smoked eel has its own deep and nice flavor, which is different from Japanese charcoal-grilled eel.

Indeed, it is so tasty on brown bread open sandwich. I had heard about smoked eel before arriving in Denmark.

There seem to be various dishes accompanying schnapps.

I guess that it is a wisdom of our societies which already existed 500 years ago and have been succeeded until now. When we celebrate something, in Japan sake (rice wine) is served and in Denmark beer, wine and schnapps are provided that allow us to talk with each other face to face. As my third year in Denmark has just started, fortunately there have been occasions when I joined close conversations with Danish local friends and learned from them. It is a story about the history 500 years ago, describing the life of King Christian II and the last years of Denmark’s Kalmar Union. Jensen and translated into Japanese by Professor NAGASHIMA Yoichi. At the end of last year, I read a book titled “The Fall of the King (Kongens Fald)” written by Mr. I hope that this letter finds you well in the middle of cold winter.

Kongens fald by Johannes V. Jensen