(photo courtesy of Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)'s photostream on Flickr)
You may notice more Swedes working out at the gym today. Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday," or Shrove Tuesday, which in Sweden, means semla, semla and more semla (or semlor, plural). Swedish bakeries begin making the traditional pastry bun, usually spiced with cardamom and filled with cream and almond paste, in early January. Swedes enjoy feasting on semlor through Easter, but the biggest day for semla consumption is Fat Tuesday, a sweet indulgence on the last Tuesday before the beginning of Lent. Gothenburg News sent out a message on Twitter yesterday saying "Today 200 000 semlor will be sold in Gothenburg alone!"
Bizarre fact about semla: Wikipedia says "King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by 14 servings of semla, with bowls of hot milk. Semla was the king's favorite dessert."
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4 comments:
Interesting fact about Kind Adolf Frederick, It's no surprise that he died- if he managed to eat so much! They are pretty rich, I often feel sick after just eating one. 14? That is a kingly feat. Do you have Semlor in SF? Unlike many work places, yesterday our company did not serve any Semlor, however they did increase the subsidy for health related classes- so maybe that's a careful reminder we are all getting too fat :-)
There are a few Scandinavian bakeries in the Bay Area, but I didn't have the chance to taste some semlor, as I'm fighting off a cold and my energy is out of whack. I'd imagine that you'd receive a mighty sugar rush from a semla. My trips to Stockholm have not been during semla season so I have missed out on the indulgence so far. :)
Sugar rush? Nah. Or maybe a bit. But not from one. After about three or four of them, I tend to feel a bit sick though. But I don't think it's just the sugar. If I eat something really sweet, like kladdkaka - or English Christmas cake - I not only feel sick, I also get a head ache, feel feverish and start sweating.
Semla is all good. Provided that the amount digested is in the lagom range. Also provided that it's eaten during the correct time of year. I curse the bakeries that start selling them too early. All too often, I've had too many semlor by the time fettisdagen arrives. I managed to avoid that this year. Now however, just the image of semlor makes me feel a bit sick - which is how it should be since Fat Tuesday has passed.
Hi Jacob...my weakness is Prinsesstårta! Luckily (for my waistline) I've only had it on a few occasions.
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