They're Here..........Semlor

     

I don't know how to describe it anyother way than this......I'm obsessed with these little buns. Sweden is obsessed with the little bun we call Semla. Originally we are only suppose to eat them on Shrove Tuesday or better known in the States as Fat Tuesday but I think every day is Tuesday in Sweden.

Just after Jul/Christmas everybody went on diets, exercise, and healthy living. That was until Tuesday when the glimpse of the first Semla bun arrived. Yesterday, as I was working very hard on the new LearnSweden Swedish Start course my friend and partner Per sent me these lovely photos of the most beautiful semlor. It ruined my whole day, just knowing that he was eating one or two......make that three semlor buns with good coffee and all I got were the photos. Cruel isn't it? I will just have to make my own this weekend. I promise to pass on the recipe, right here on this very blog, on Fat Tuesday , which is February 24th .

         

Everyone has their own private ritual when it comes to eating Semlor. Personally, I can't even leave the shop with them. I order the semla bun with a coffee and sit down for a wonderful cafe/bakery experience. I sit there thinking to myself......"Is isn't it great being Swedish American ? Wherever you are just get yourself to the nearest Swedish Bakery and then you can have this experience for yourself.

        

Here are a few fun facts about the Semla Bun:

Semla is Latin for fine wheat flour.

Semlor became popular in Sweden in 1541.

Each Swede eats five semlor per year on average.

In 2001, the world's largest semla was made, weighing in at 160 kg. The famous bun was made in Linköping, which is about 200km south of Stockholm.

A true addict of semlor was King Adolf Fredrik who died on February 12, 1771,after consuming 14 servings of hetvägg, which is semla in a bowl of warm milk.

Happily, I'm not as bad as King Adolf Fredrik but if you have to die, why not death by Semla ?