A Mouthful of Berry Soup

Denmark's beloved rodgrod med flode, a celebration of summer berries, is both tongue-twister and belly-pleaser

Strawberries, raspberries, black currants, red currants, blackberries, and blueberries can be jumbled into a pot and cooked down into a red berry soup. iravgustin/Shutterstock

In a splendid reflection of cultural priorities, count on the Danes to assign a bowl of soup as a measure of linguistic ability. For us well-intentioned yet decidedly non-Danish spouses and friends who have attempted to speak the language, there is an inside joke among Danes when it comes to testing our purported linguistic skills. Simply put, it’s to repeat the tongue-twisting phrase rodgrod med flode, which directly translates as “red porridge with cream,” or a red berry soup.

So what is it about this phrase that never ceases to delight our Danish friends while consistently providing them with a laugh? Suffice it to say that if you can even get your mouth around the correct sound for an “O”, you will likely stumble when you try to pronounce the “D” (of which, so it happens, there are many in this phrase). When spoken correctly, the Danish “D” should sound as though you are attempting to enunciate the letter “D” with a mouth full of, well, red berry soup.