Old Danish Kitchen Wisdom: 10 Cooking Tips from Skovmøllen

Timeless lessons to inspire your cooking today

A few weeks ago, while we were still in Denmark, we visited one of our favorite museums in Aarhus, Moesgaard. Afterward, we took a walk in the nearby woods and stumbled upon an old restaurant known for its hot chocolate and homemade buns (boller).

For those who don’t know, my husband is Danish, and we spend several months each year at our summer house in Denmark—a cozy home we renovated on the beautiful Helgenæs peninsula. The closest large city is Aarhus, my husband’s hometown and Denmark’s second-largest city, also called “the city of smiles.”

Traditional Danish cuisine is quite simple, but home cooking is a central part of life in Denmark. While dining out can be expensive, home cooking is deeply tied to hygge—that uniquely Danish sense of coziness. On dark, cold winter days, Danes embrace the warmth of home: preparing nourishing meals, baking, or sipping warm drinks like coffee or hot chocolate, and gathering around the table with family and friends.

Although I usually avoid wheat, gluten, and sugar, I’ve reached a point in my health journey where I can occasionally indulge without issue—allowing me to fully enjoy the experience of tasting something new and delicious. So, when my husband told me the restaurant was famous for its boller, served warm with butter and jam, I couldn’t resist. This time, I skipped the hot chocolate and opted for a black coffee—another Danish staple, enjoyed at any time of day.

As I savored the buns with butter and rhubarb jam, something else caught my attention: a framed piece on the wall titled Old Fashioned Cooking Tips. The tips were stitched onto fabric, offering a glimpse of old Danish kitchen wisdom.

I snapped a photo and asked my husband to translate the text. Later, with a little help from AI, we recreated, in English, the poetic flow of the original and preserved its vintage charm—so I could share it with you.

Skovmøllen, located in the Marselisborg Forest near Aarhus, has been a restaurant since the 1800s, housed in a charming 1780s half-timbered building by the Giber Å stream. Known for its traditional Danish cuisine and use of local ingredients, it offers a glimpse into Denmark's culinary and cultural history, with the nearby historic mill, operational since 1570, adding to its timeless appeal.

Old-Fashioned Cooking Tips (from 6-12-1969)

(Note - The date should be read in the European format: 6-December-1969)