In AD 793 the Viking Age was kicked off when Viking raiders attacked Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England, plundered its Christian monastery, killed or enslaved the monks and appropriated its religious treasures. The Vikings were undoubtedly accomplished shipbuilders, sailors and traders, but their economic model was simpler—to leverage the quality of their boats to pillage coastal communities, steal what they could and escape before anyone could catch them.
The Danes, who are still proud of their violent Viking heritage, at least have refined their economic model. Whereas the Vikings would forcibly steal from the countries they raided, modern Danes simply misappropriate national food branding. In a form of ambush marketing, the Danes re-brand other countries’ products by labelling them as Danish. This brand raiding I am calling “Viking marketing”.
Danish feta
Feta is originally a product of Greece. The European Union (EU) has given it protected designation of origin (PDO) status to ensure that only feta produced in Greece can be sold under that name (similar to champagne only being produced in the Champagne region of France).
Under the PDO, Greek feta must use sheep’s milk, or a mix of sheep’s and up to thirty percent goat’s milk. Cow’s milk is not permitted. Denmark, Germany and France challenged the original EU registration; and Denmark and Germany challenged the PDO again and lost. Danish producers (using cow’s milk) continued using Feta on cheese exported outside the EU arguing the EU protection didn’t apply to exports. However, in 2022, the European Court of Justice ruled against Denmark on that too.
In Australia, our supermarkets are outside the jurisdiction so continue to sell Australian fetta (with a double T), Danish-style fetta and Greek feta (with one T).
Danish pastry
The origin story of Danish Pastry is that a bakers’ strike in Denmark in 1850 led local bakery owners to employ Austrian bakers. The Austrians brought Viennese techniques with them, which local bakers adopted. Danish pastry is just Austrian pastry and even the Danes call their pastries wienerbrød — literally Viennese bread.
Danish bacon
From the 1850s, Denmark built a huge bacon export industry supplying Britain. But similarly to pastry and feta, the Danes imported British pigs, produced bacon to British tastes and then sold it back to the British as Danish bacon.
Danish butter
Butter is hardly Danish. Humans have been making it for thousands of years. Denmark became adept at producing consistently high-quality butter and marketing it (again) into the British market. They had a problem with competition from imported butter, including Siberian/Russian butter, and Denmark developed national branding and quality controls to distinguish genuine Danish butter.
Danish salami
Salami is a southern European speciality (especially Italian). In Australia, Danish salami seems to have become the name of a style — a finely textured, mildly spiced salami usually made from Australian pork. It is certainly not a statement of provenance.
Viking marketing
The longships have gone and coastal women, children and priests are safe, but the Danes have adapted their plundering. Viking marketing consists of taking another country’s product, putting Danish in front of it and claiming it as your own. Meanwhile I am starting my own brand of Australian lego.