Semla

A , , Swedish eclair, /, , or is a traditional sweet roll made in various forms in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Latvia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday in most countries, Shrove Monday in Denmark, parts of southern Sweden, Iceland and Faroe Islands or Sunday of Fastelavn in Norway. In Sweden it is most commonly known as just (plural: ), but is also known as , Template:Literal translation. In the southern parts of Sweden, as well as in Swedish-speaking Finland, it is known as (plural: ; on the other hand means a plain wheat bun with butter, called in Swedish). In Poland it is known as . In Estonia it is called . In Norway and Denmark it is called . In Iceland, it is known as a and served on Bolludagur. In Faroe Islands it is called , and is served on . In Latvia, it is called . served in a bowl of hot milk is .

Etymology

The name (plural: ) is a loan word from Middle Low German semmel, originally deriving from the Latin , meaning 'flour', itself a borrowing from Greek (), which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour. In the southernmost part of Sweden (Scania) and by the Swedish-speaking population in Finland, they are known as . In Denmark and Norway they are known as ( and fastelavn being the equivalent of Shrove Tuesday). In Scanian, the feast is also called . In Finnish they are known as (which refers to the Finnish ), in Latvian as , and in Estonian as .

Sweden/Finland/Estonia

Today, the Swedish-Finnish consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with a mix of milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. Today it is often eaten on its own, with coffee or tea. Some prefer to eat it in a bowl of hot milk.

In Finland, the bun is often filled with strawberry or raspberry jam instead of almond paste, and bakeries in Finland usually offer both versions. (Many bakeries distinguish between the two by decorating the traditional bun with almonds on top, whereas the jam-filled version has powdered sugar on top). Opinions on which of the two is the "correct" filling are divided, and it is a common topic of contention (similar to e.g. the matter of pineapple on pizza, i.e. usually not taken too seriously). In Finland-Swedish, means a plain wheat bun, used for bread and butter, and not a sweet bun.

At some point Swedes grew tired of the strict observance of Lent, added cream and almond paste to the mix and started eating every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Every year, at around the same time that the Swedish bakeries fill with , local newspapers start to fill with taste tests. Panels of 'experts' dissect and inspect tables full of to find the best in town.

Some bakeries have created alternative forms of the pastry, such as the "semmelwrap" formed as a wrap rather than the traditional bun, while others have added e.g. chocolate, marzipan, or pistachios to the recipe.

In Finland and Estonia the traditional dessert predates Christian influences. and , both days included in laskiainen, were festivals when children and youth would go sledding or downhill sliding on a hill or a slope to determine how the crop would yield in the coming year. Those who slid the farthest were going to get the best crop. Hence the festival is named after the act of sliding or sledding downhill, . Nowadays has been integrated into Christian customs as the beginning of lent before Easter.

In Estonia, is often a cardamom-spiced wheat bun with whipped cream only or with jam or marzipan filling added. Similarly to Finland, or (Shrove Tuesday) involves sledding. Estonians believed that the one with the longest slide would have the best flax crop yield – specifically the longer the crop, the longer fiber which would mean a higher quality linen textile could be produced.

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Norway

File:Fastelavensbolle.jpg

Norwegian with whipped cream, jam and powdered sugar

consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with whipped cream, topped with jam. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. The buns are served at Sunday of Fastelavn (Shrove Sunday), but were previously associated with Shrove Tuesday.

Denmark/Iceland/Faroe Islands

The version sold in Danish bakeries on or around Shrove Monday is rather different, made from puff pastry and filled with whipped cream, a bit of jam and often with icing on top. At home people may bake a version more similar to a usual wheat roll, mixing plain yeast dough with raisins, succade and sometimes candied bitter orange peel.

In Iceland it is done in a similar way but in place of puff pastry more common is the choux pastry version.

In Icelandic, Shrove Monday is called bolludagur (bun day), named after the pastry.

In the Faroe Islands, it is done with choux pastry, and filled with vanilla cream, whipped cream and jam, and topped with chocolate icing.

History

The oldest version of the was a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. In Swedish this is known as , from Middle Low German ('hot wedges') or German ('hot buns') and falsely interpreted as "hotwall".

The was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, or all of the three days before Lent, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with the arrival of the Protestant Reformation, the Swedes stopped observing a strict fast for Lent. The in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average four to five bakery-produced each year, in addition to any that are homemade.

According to a popular myth, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771, after consuming a (), the king's favorite dessert, after a meal consisting of sauerkraut, turnips, caviar, smoked herring, and champagne. In recent versions of the legend, the has turned into 14, and sometimes into cinnamon buns.

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

See also

• Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden
• Cream bun
• Estonian cuisine
• Finnish cuisine
• List of buns
• List of pastries
• Swedish cuisine