At the court of Frederick II, meals were not thought of as "starter-main-dessert" but in a rhythm of servings. The day was divided into *davre* (the light morning meal), *middagsmad* (the main meal at midday), and *nadver* (the evening supper). During festivities at Kronborg Castle, the royal table displayed several successive *retter* (services): roast game meats, Baltic fish, rye breads, all washed down with beer at every table and Rhenish wines at the high table. Rye bread and beer formed the common foundation from groom to king; what distinguished the royal table was the abundance of game, noble fish, and imported spices.

Master of the Øresund Strait and its famous toll, Frederick II ruled over one of Europe's greatest herring routes. Salted or smoked Baltic herring and long-fermented rye bread are the salty-fermented soul of the Danish table — from the royal fleet sailor to the banquet at Kronborg.