Morten’s Aften (Saint Martin’s Eve; the Danish equivalent of Thanksgiving).
I must admit that we’ve started to celebrate Morten’s aften in our family only after we moved to Sweden and only because the gees and the ducks from a local farmer (Kärra Gårdsslakteri & Rökeri in Ängelholm, Sweden) are beyond words tasty.
Before that, cooking a duck for Christmas was a messy thing I had to do once a year. Yes, it’s tasted good but not that good to do it voluntary again during the year. And we have tasted pretty much everything of what we could get of best quality in Danish supermarkets.
But now we simply HAVE to celebrate Morten’s Eve! So I guess that Maria from Maria’s Daisies blog is right on spot when she says that “Danes love a party and will always, always, always find a good reason or excuse to feast”.
The Danish tradition… and why the goose became a duck
I have found this short description of the tradition:
St. Martin’s Eve (Mortensaften) on 10 November is associated with the missionary and later bishop, Martin of Tours. In Denmark, traditionally goose is eaten for dinner – or, if you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, you can serve duck.
Accounting to legend, St. Martin hid in a goose shed to avoid being consecrated as the bishop. But the geese gave him away with their cackling. Getting back at them, albeit slowly, St. Martin declared that every 10th of November, geese should be served as the main meal.
If you want to read more about this tradition with a good flavor af a Danish humor, hit over to Maria’s post: Duck-Duck-Goose: Morten’s Eve
I particularly like Maria’s take on why the duck came into the picture:
“As for the duck instead of the goose; some say the Danish ovens are too small, some say the Danish families have shrunk, some say the Danish economy has shrunk; personally I think the Danes just find duck tastier and love the practice for the next big feast: Christmas, where many also will eat duck.”
Perfect for my Morten’s Aften cooking and my family well-being:
And since we are talking about local and quality food, I want to share these 2 products with you from a Danish company SCANPAN – Environmentally friendly cookware.
I really do appreciate when the quality, local production and sustainability go hand in hand. When the company makes an effort and do care. Therefore I want to give a shout out to this company that shares the same values as we do at FabGoose.
Produced in Denmark out of Recycling aluminium and are free from both PFOA and PFOS. This prevents the transfer of harmful chemicals in your cooking. Learn more about the quality here.
I wish that it should always be easy to make good and rewarding choices as a consumer. Without constantly being alert about any dangerous substances in the products that we buy.
We have decided to celebrate Morten’s Aften in our web-shop. Sign up to our mailing list below to get notified when we will the run the event.