Danish Hygge

Danish hygge (pronounced "hoo-gah"), is maybe one of the most used Danish words for describing well-being and coziness regarding the setting. In Denmark, we use the word as an adjective in a sentence like this “it was very hygge(ligt) to drink coffee with you yesterday” or “what a hygge(ligt) place you got here” you can replace hyggeligt with “what a cozy place you got here” and the meaning would be near the same, so you could say that hygge is the danish word for cozy, more or less.

Hygge is a feeling, a vibe, that more or less describes an effortless, yet lovely experience both in company with others or in a homely place of. In the sections below we will guide you through some hygge(lige) things to do regardless of the season. There are many hygge(lige) ways to spend time with your friends and family, and here are our best suggestions to hygge the Danish way.

“Påskefrokost” is a Danish gathering with friends and family during the Easter holiday. We get together with our loved ones and enjoy great food, cakes and drink snaps (which is a strong alcoholic beverage that is enjoyed throughout the holiday seasons). In Denmark, the Easter table consists mostly of freshly baked rye bread, topped with fish and other homemade toppings, also known as “smørrebrød” which is a great tradition in Denmark. For dessert we enjoy small cakes and “wienerbrød”.

Do you want to have your own “påskefrokost”? We have gathered the best products for a fantastic Easter table here:

• Soft Grain Rye rye flour, wheat flour, sourdough, soft rye kernels
• Carrot Rye rye flour, wheat flour, rye kernels, carrot, seeds, sourdough
• Sourdough Loaf whole grain, biga sourdough
• Carrot Muffin carrot cake, cream cheese frosting
• Cinnamon Social™ soft pastry, rich vanilla custard

Summertime is just one of the best times of the year, and we think that we all can agree on that. It brings people together and the summer vibes are not to be mistaken. It’s the perfect time to throw a BBQ with friends and family and get together around the grill, or go for a picnic in your local park around NYC, and regardless of what fits you best. We are ready to help with the essentials for some great summertime hygge.

Are you going for a picnic? Then try our sandwiches. They are perfect in the picnic basket, we would recommend these:

• Marinated Portobello Sandwich (vegan): sesame ginger marinade, fresh coriander, cabbage, served cold on a skagen roll
• Roast Beef Sandwich: mango chutney, horseradish mayo, spinach, pickled red onion, served cold on a salt & pepper roll
• Danish Cured Ham Sandwich: Gouda cheese, Dijon mayonnaise
• Chicken BLT Toastie: chicken, bacon, chipotle mayo, tomato, little gem lettuce
• Beech Mushroom Toastie: beech mushrooms, charred broccolini, goat cheese

When it’s cold out, we just move inside, and that is necessarily not bad at all. Winter is probably the most hyggelige season we have, including Christmas, the season of love and happiness. We light candles and gather around good food and hot drinks with good people and tell stories that all ages enjoy. We at Ole & Steen love the winter season and therefore we always have a great range of freshly baked goods to make this lovely season even better.

We have selected some of our best selling winter and Christmas products for you to enjoy.

• Roasted Tomato Soup: roasted San Marzano tomatoes pureed with cream, topped with rye crumbles and shaved gouda, served with sliced seeded rye bread
• Ginger Chicken Soup: roasted chicken, potato, carrot, spinach, ginger and turmeric coconut milk broth, served with sliced skagen bread
• Kløben Bun: soft bun, cardamom, raisins, almonds
• Tea Bun: soft bun, cardamom, raisins
• Cinnamon Swirl: flaky pastry with cinnamon paste, vanilla custard and icing

We all can agree that birthday parties are an amazing way to celebrate, and gather all your loved ones in a very hyggelig way. There is a great tradition in kagemand (cake men) and kagekone (cake wives) in Denmark and they are almost a must have on every Danish birthday table, regardless of age.

At Ole And Steen, you can order a true danish kagemand / cake man or a kagekone / cake wife for all occasions. We make each cake to order, which means that you can choose, hair color, decorations, ribbons and sweets for toppings so that your cake man or cake wife will be exactly as you want it to be.

Danish hygge is more or less a way of life in Denmark, it’s a lifestyle term that we have very close to our hearts as a Danish bakery. We therefore strive to implement the Danish hygge to all our bakeries and coffee shops around New York City, both in the homely feeling and the way we design our bakeries.

Visit our stores here and get some real danish hygge in your everyday life, we are looking forward to seeing you!

• Bryant Park
• Midtown East
• Union Square