Semla

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A semla is a traditional pastry in Sweden and Finland, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday. The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour. In the southern most part of Sweden, Skåne and in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, Österbotten, they are known as fastlagsbulle (fastlagen being the equivalent of shrovetide), and in the rest of Finland as laskiaispulla. The oldest version of the semla was a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. Today, the semla consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out and then filled with a mix of the scooped out bread crumbs, milk and almond paste, topped of with whipped cream. The cut-off top is then put back as a lid and dusted with icing sugar. It is nowadays often eaten on its own, with coffee or similar, but many still eat it in a bowl of hot milk. In Finland, the bun is sometimes filled with jam instead of marzipan.

The semla was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with Protestantism the Swedes stopped observing Lent, and the semla in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, semlas are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average five bakery-produced semlas each year, in addition to all those that are home-made.

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sour cabbage, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by 14 servings of his favourite dessert: a semla served in a bowl of hot milk.

It was the sweet chosen to represent Finland in the Café Europe iniciative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006.

See also: Swedish cuisine