In
1888 wine merchant Oskar Davidsen obtained a
restaurateur's licence and opened a wine bar
in connection with his wine shop in
Copenhagen.
However, when the guests felt hungry as
well, Petra Davidsen went into the back and
created ”smørrebrød” (Danish open
sandwiches) for them. This is how it all
began….. And it developed. The regulars came
punctuously at lunch time in order to feast
their palates and stomachs on the delicate
”smørrebrød” created by equal parts of pure
raw materials and gastronomic imagination.
New customers came. And the reputation of
Davidsen's ”smørrebrød” reached the entire
country.
The famous list of ”smørrebrød” was created
during the first year of this century. 178
variations over a Danish theme: ”Smørrebrød”.
The list is more than 140 centimetres long.
The longest in the world. And of course, it
has achieved a place in the Guinness Book of
Records.
However, it is neither quantity nor length
which has caused the ”smørrebrød” to be an
international success. It is the quality.
Through a 100 years, Oskar and Petra
Davidsen were succeeded by the son Vagn Aage
Davidsen. Then came Vagn Aage's son, Per
Davidsen – supported by his wife Hedevig (Numme)
Davidsen and the partner Axel Svensson.
In 1965 the path was set from the ”old
house” on Åboulevarden to Søpavillonen,
where Restaurant Oskar Davidsen manifested
its Danish and international reputation
through the years until 1974. In the
meantime, the fourth generation had entered
the family business. Per and Numme
Davidsen's daughter, Ida Davidsen.
As the ambassador of ”smørrebrød” she made
Danish gastronomy even more known and loved
outside the borders of Denmark. Among other
things, Ida Davidsen has prepared
”smørrebrød” for the guests at the
Restaurant Scandia in Hollywood. For the
passengers of British Airways and Canadian
Pacific. She has headed the culinary strain
at Danish campaigns many places in the world
in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and
Danish agricultural organisations. Since
1978 Ida Davidsen has, together with her
husband Adam Siesbye, been in charge of the
gastronomic line and operation of a Danish
restaurant at the Hotel Maksoud Plaza in São
Paulo, Brazil.
When the era at Søpavillonen ended in 1974,
Ida Davidsen and Adam Siesbye opened the
Restaurant Ida Davidsen at St. Kongensgade
70, where they, together with the kitchen
and restaurant personnel, carry on the 100
years old unbroken family tradition of
quality and Danish food culture.amily
tradition of quality and Danish food
culture.