smørrebrød

• smorrebrod, smörrebröd

From Danish smørrebrød.

smørrebrød (plural smørrebrød or smørrebrøds)

1. An open-faced sandwich that usually consists of a piece of buttered rye bread, topped with commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes.
   • 1968, Eleanor B. Pierce, Menu Translator: Pan Am’s Guide to Food and Drink Specialties Abroad and at Home, Pan American Airways, page 24:

     Danish cities are full of shops with colorful smørrebrøds where you can inexpensively buy an assortment to eat in the park on a nice day.

   • 2011, Jack Challem, No More Fatigue: Why You’re So Tired and What You Can Do About It, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., →ISBN, page 168:

     Two or three smørrebrøds are commonly served as breakfast in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

   • 2011, Amy C. Rea, Backroads & Byways of Minnesota: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions, The Countryman Press, →ISBN, page 199:

     Next door to the Commonweal is Kari’s, which has somewhat erratic hours (be sure to check before planning a trip there) and serves Scandinavian gourmet food, like Norwegian meatballs with lingonberries and a variety of smørrebrøds.

   • 2023, Nichole Accettola, “How to Make and Eat Smørrebrød: A Master Class in Layering”, in Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, New York, N.Y.: Ten Speed Press, →ISBN, page 200:

     It is no exaggeration to say that smørrebrød, or open-faced sandwiches, are the classic Danish dish. […] Smørrebrød are served across all strata of society, from extremely fancy restaurants to working-class lunch counters, where they often come accompanied by a fist-size meatball or a fried fish cake.

• Smørrebrød on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

From smør og brød, lit. "bread and butter".

• IPA^(key): /smœrəbrøːˀð/, [ˈsmɶɐˌb̥ʁœðˀ]

smørrebrød n (singular definite smørrebrødet, not used in plural form)

1. (uncountable) bread (an open faced sandwich containing an assortment of fillings)

• (Swedish) smörgås
• (Norwegian Bokmål) smørbrød
• (Norwegian Nynorsk) smørbrød

• “smørrebrød” in Den Danske Ordbog

Unadapted borrowing from Danish smørrebrød.

smørrebrød n

1. Alternative spelling of smörrebröd (“smørrebrød”), when considered overly Danish.
   • 2006 May 22, Jon Hansson, “Så gör du smarriga smørrebrød! [How to make delicious smørrebrød!]”, in Aftonbladet‎^[1], archived from the original on 27 August 2025:

     Minst tre smørrebrød per person ska det vara, säger bröd- och påläggsdronningen Ida Davidsen och bjuder på sina dejligste recept.

     At least three smørrebrød per person, that’s how it should be, says the bread-and-topping queen Ida Davidsen, as she shares her most delightful recipes.

   • 2025 July 11, Richard Mattsson et al., “Allsvenska panelen: ”Han har tagit sin cykel och sitt smørrebrød och flytt” [Swedish league panel: “He’s taken his bike and his smørrebrød and fled”]”, in Svenska Fans:

     Och hur påverkas Mjällby AIF av att nyckelspelaren Nicklas Røjkjaer nu tagit sin cykel, smørrebrød och vad mer samtliga danskar uppskattar, och farit till Själland för att äntligen – och välförtjänt – tjäna verkliga pengar på sin fotboll.

     And how is Mjällby AIF affected now that key player Nicklas Røjkjaer has taken his bike, his smørrebrød and whatever else all Danes appreciate, and gone off to Zealand to finally – and deservedly – make real money from his football.