On Friday 2 to 4 September, the harbour of Aarhus, Tangkrogen, held the Danish hot dog championship during one of the biggest food festivals in Denmark, with almost 28,000 guests attending the event.
By Alessandra Iellamo
Vildsvin (“wild boar”) – Flora – Fauna, that’s the name of Denmark’s
best hot dog.
Mikael Kopp Christensen and Niklas Thellufsen from Restaurant Fauna, are the
winners of the hot dog DM 2022.
The list of ingredients definitely represents Denmark at its fullest – wild
boar hot dog from North Jutland, with a taste of flora and fauna in the ramsløg
remoulade, sun berry BBQ and aromatic crunch.
“We have previously participated in the contest, but this year more chefs
have joined the competition and everyone is incredibly skilled” says Mikael
Kopp Christensen.
The gastronomic festival couldn’t have ended it a better way – starting with
performances, celebrations, exhibitions and culminating with the most awaited
event of the year, the hot dog championship, where talented chefs, restaurants
and food artisans have competed to make the best gourmet hot dog.
The festival returned after last year’s cancellation due to the Covid-19
outbreak, which makes us think: when was the last time we attended a food
festival before the pandemic? Most likely, a long time ago.
But why a hot dog championship? And why Aarhus?
The significance
The concept of the contest came about with the idea of celebrating classic
Danish hot dogs. They have been a big part of the Danish street food tradition
since January 18th, 1921 when the first sausage was sold in the streets of the
capital of Denmark, Copenhaghen.
“It’s an old Danish tradition that started to disappear with other recent
Nordic food trends, and that’s why we wanted to celebrate it, bring it back in
a new edition” says Ida Maj Fiskbaek – project manager and
communication advisor of FOOD (Food Organisation of Denmark).
She thinks it’s important to celebrate the country’s tradition, the chefs and show that hot dogs can be a gourmet experience too. That’s why it was important to have a festival that could also celebrate the food scene in this part of the country.
Chefs coming from the northern part of Jutland to Copenhagen took part in the contest, selected by a panel of judges consisting of Denmark’s most talented chef and food critics, including Børsen’s gastronomy editor and food reviewer Ole Troelsø.
“I’ve been reviewing top gourmet restaurants for 8 years at that point, and then I thought about creating something included the fun element” says Ole Troelsø. “Taking the skills from the top chefs and using them for the very modest fast food, letting them meet the street vendors so they could work together – that was the whole idea of the contest”
The event marks the 9th year since Aarhus first hot dog contest.
Just as food brings people together, the hot dog contest allows curious diners and gourmands to gather, taste and discover new flavours and combinations in an ultimate culinary experience, but also to find out new and sustainable techniques of a staple in Danish cuisine.
Like every year, the event is charitable. This year’s profits will be donated to Dyreværnet, an organisation for the protection of animals based in Tranbjerg J, Aarhus.