Slotsholmen, the castle islet, situated at the centre of Copenhagen, has served as the seat of Royal Danish power since the 12th century. Many castles have risen and fallen here, successively. The present Neo-Baroque style Christiansborg Palace was constructed in 1928. It houses the Danish Parliament and the Queen’s Office. Some sections of this functioning palace are open to visitors too, among which is the Royal Kitchen in the basement.
This is an experiential museum envisioned by the much loved present monarch, Queen Margrethe II, an avowed crafts and theatre enthusiast. When kitchens got modern, with all the sleek and efficient gadgetry of the 20th century, the traditional kitchenware that had accumulated in the royal household got obsolete. But discarding them was not an option because this kitchen has the distinction of owning the single largest collection of copper cookware in entire Europe. So, the good Queen had the old kitchen conserved and set up exactly as it was on May 15, 1937, when a State Dinner was hosted for 275 distinguished guests in the Palace to celebrate the 25th Jubilee of King Christian X. She then opened it for public viewing.
Get a ticket and step in for time travel! The Royal Kitchen is vast, cavernous and whitewashed. Rows and rows of copper pots, pans and kettles, all gleaming pink,
adorn the wooden shelves and wall hooks. Clunky, hand-operated thingummies for slicing, kneading, grinding and mashing are fixed to some work counters. How strange this complicated hardware looks! The huge ovens are filled with trays of marinated chicken. Massive iron stoves are slow heating cauldrons filled with
succulent vegetables and herbs. Thawing fish are lined up alongside cleavers, scrapers and knives on the chopping boards. An entire aisle is taken up by bags and bottles of essentials. The menu, pinned at each counter, shows a 6-course meal of Ambassador Soup, Filet Au Sole a la Nantua, Tenderloin Bouquetiere, Chicken Parisienne, Ice Cream Royale and Dessert.
As we walkabout, a medley of ambient sounds — thudding, swishing, mumbling, clinking, scurrying — can be heard, muffled and distant. Only the sudden ring of an antique phone is loud. It feels like the kitchen staff will re-appear any moment with another load of produce….. The hyper-realism achieved in creating the food models contribute a lot to the overall experience.
A locked door leading to the Pastry Section has a glass panel through which we see a real human chef and his lady assistant chit-chatting as they knead and whisk stuff, while another chef arranges treats on a serving dish. The cupboards are full of loaves of bread, buns and condiment jars. A little girl in a striped dress helps herself to candied fruit when the chef is not looking and runs to hide under a counter.
This room can be accessed from a side door and, upon entering, we see the room we had just seen through the glass, exactly as it was. But the people have vanished! What we had seen was a cleverly mounted LED screen playing a video clip with costumed actors! We are beginning to smile when we spot the girl in the striped dress still crouching under the counter .....oops! Fooled again! It is a very lifelike mannequin of that same girl we had seen! Too much blurring of lines between the real and the make-believe! Abutting the pastry room is the last section, the Staffroom, in studied disarray. Caps, aprons, towels, scribbled memos and half-empty soda bottles are strewn around the plain furniture. We exit the kitchen which, untouched by time, keeps preparing for the big feast. The Royal Kitchen is not just a showcase of vintage pots and pans, but a memorable time capsule too.