Smørrebrød

Biologically, we are what we eat.  But more than anything in our current tour of Europe, we are reminded how much local foods and dishes reflect identity, history, place and togetherness.  These past weeks have been a feast of friends, memories and connection with the local cultures.  The photograph here is just one example – a platter of traditional Smørrebrød, sometimes called Danish Open Sandwiches … but not a lot of bread is involved compared to our New Zealand 'butty'.

‘Pākehā’ (mainly European settlers) within New Zealand’s ‘new settler society’ are working hard to build local food cultures and stories associated with 100-200 years "down under". But our local European-styled food culture is not yet formed to anything like what we experience in Europe.

On the other hand, local ‘marae’ (Māori meeting complexes) and ‘rūnanga’ (Māori community governance structures) have a rich history of capture and preparation of local foods. Many marae have a signature dish prepared from local food species for which they are renowned. They serve this to their guests as part of their ‘manaakitanga’ (care, hospitality and generosity to visitors).  The weird thing is, that there are relatively few restaurants that serve this traditional Māori food.  Let’s hope appreciation for it develops.