Culture Quirks: Sweden's "Semla"
It certainly isn't news to anyone who knows me that I like dessert. Candy, pastries, chocolate, ice cream... you name it. And really, why not? Seriously, if you can tell me why not, leave it in the comments. I'll wait for your response and occupy myself while I am eating more ice cream.
So it was of no surprise that a Swedish pastry called Semla came across my radar. These days, it's a cardamom-spiced wheat bun with the top cut off and some of the inside dug out. This void is replaced by almond goo and whipped cream, after which the bun-top is replaced and a sprinkling of icing sugar is put on to finish off the package. It's all about presentation you know...
So, the history goes a bit like this. It was the last festive food eaten before Lent, on Shrove (Fat) Tuesday, as a bun eaten in a bowl of warm milk then called "hetvägg." Apparently, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after eating a huge meal that included eating 14 of these for dessert (it was his favorite).**
;)
;)
I'm going to eat you... I'm eating you.
So a bun in warm milk? Boring. A thank you goes out to the inventor of almond goo, who saved what would automatically be a "pass." Also, it's fortunate that you no longer have to abide by this one day rule, I mean I'm an adult and I can eat whenever I want to! *stomps food*
So I set out to try for myself, and here's the deal. This is a 500 calorie monster (1/4 to 1/6 of your average daily intake), and in my opinion has a few flaws.
First, it's a bun. I was hoping it would be more doughnut-like in texture (more sugar for Dustin...) but it was just too bun-ny. The almond goo and the whipped cream both receive a positive grade, though the whipped cream was a little thick for my liking. Finally the icing sugar was great on the top. Honestly, it's icing sugar, of course it's great.
Anatomy of a Semla
Now my current Semla count is just at one, and some of these traits (excessive bun-iness, thick whipped cream) may be relative to the cafe I first visited. I vow to try out at least a couple more before they disappear from the bakeries for another year.
I'll leave you with some fun facts I came across. Each Swede eats an average of 5 Semlor per year, running about 20-30kr each (about $3.00-$4.75) at a bakery. That's some big business with 9 million people in the country. The other Nordic & Baltic countries share a taste for this pastry as well, often throwing their own take on it (melted chocolate on top, jam on the inside).
So I think I'll try another or two, but please have a Kanelbulle on standby for me...
UPDATE!
It didn't take long for my 2nd Semla experience. This time at Trollhattan's 2011 Årets Godaste Semla (Tasty Roll) award winner, Café Gillet. It was purely by chance and I can happily say that it was many times better than my first Semla. Not only did it not feel all heavy or taste too bun-ny, but the whipped cream and ample almond goo was just great. As a service to all of my readers, I vow to taste another, and another (...) and report back. You're welcome.
** reminds me of a certain friend who challenged some of us to a 'one-pound challenge' by eating a one pound hamburger. We refused, and after eating it, he claimed victory. A few weeks later, he came down the a case of the gout. It was at this time when we all agreed... the burger won.
This post was featured by Suzy Guese in her Suzy Stumbles Over Travel feature.
February 24, 2011
Reader Comments (11)
Great! Now I'm hungry :D
There seems to be an awful lot o' goodness going on in those Semlas! I think I'm going to have to try one. Lucky for me, I live in a neighborhood in Chicago that was originally settled by Swedes and we still have a lot of their influence. In fact, the local bakery (named appropriately) The Swedish Bakery is just around the corner. I'll bet they have them there. I'll let you know what I think.
I'm seriously in awe of your descriptive skills.
wow! that looks like a whole lot of yummy over the top calories!!!
admittedly it looks like a bit of a must try to :-I
The official "Day" is March 8th, and I vow to eat more than the 3 I have already consumed by then. I do it for you!
That looks like something you would get completely all over your face, clothes, fingers,etc. I'm not sure about the "almond goo" aspect to it. I think chocolate might be better.
I agree with Suze: add chocolate instead of almond goo and I'm in :) We have something similar in Germany, but the bun is sweet dough and it's filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Now I really want some!!
Yum! Even with the flaws, it looks much better than the Swedish treats we tried (Lakrisol and Fil) Yuck!
To all expressing doubts about the almond goo, I understand. You see, hearing almond goo doesn't make my taste buds go all "lmmlmmm mmmmmlm ummummml" (tastebud talk). I assure you, as a professional (not true) candy/cake/sweet eater, it really is great. When done well, it compliments the bun and the whipped cream, and even the powdered sugar. I'm not sure how I'd feel about chocolate instead of the almond goo, thinking the chocolate would overpower the overall taste of the Semla. I'm going to give the chocolate filling a Swedish 'Nej'
@Kim The Swedes and the Finns have a thing for salty candy. This habit is wrong and gross. It's hard to find quality candy here. Maybe I'll make a post about bad candy.
@Sabrina I would like one of those. Can you DM one to me?
Haha. Thanks for the update and added hamburger story at the end!!
I'm a huge fan of anything almond and of course desserts too! It's the pastries that make a culture, isn't it? ;-)
And yes, the burger did win indeed!