The other day, as a friend and I were leaving the student union Nymble, we stumbled into a semla giveaway. One of the job fairs on KTH main campus had ended, and there were a few boxes of the traditional sweet buns leftover that they wanted to clear out. Getting a free semla was enough to make our day, but the sweet buns are a seasonal source of joy for people throughout Scandinavia this time of year.
In anticipation of today, Semmeldagen (semla day) 2022, I decided to brush up on my semla knowledge and ask some Swedish friends, what’s with all the hype?
Quick facts
- What | Semla (semlor, plural) is a sweetened wheat flour bun with cardamom spice, marzipan (almond paste), and whipped cream, with a dusting of powdered sugar on top. The very traditional recipe involved serving them in a plate of hot milk, though that’s less common at your typical bakery today.
- How | Semla is only produced in bakeries for a select few months each year. This intentional scarcity makes them special, and arguably more delicious when the season finally arrives..
- When | When semla eating should commence is subject of debate:
- There’s Semmeldagen, March 1 2022, when you’re traditionally supposed to start eating semla, which is linked to the Christian history of the pastry as a Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras treat to “fatten up” before the Lenten season.
- And there’s approximately, January, when bakeries start making the tempting buns for the public – though the debut seems to creep closer to Christmas each year, to the disapproval of some Swedes.
Consulting the experts
I checked in with a few Swedish friends for their hot take on all things semla. I’ll let their testimony speak for itself…
“To be honest, I think the hype is fair, it is one of the best pastries/sweets, though it may be because you just eat it at this time of the year…”
Emil, semla fan
“The semmel day has now been transformed into semmel month with more and new variants every year. But I don’t complain, I love semlor, and especially the classic one! If you have not tried the one with roasted almond paste yet, it is a must!”
Josephine, classic semla advocate
“As a kid I called these delicious buns Selma (as a girl in my classroom), I wasn’t able to call it by its real name, semla, till years later. Another thing that has changed from my young years is my love for the almond paste inside the semlor. From hating it, asking for them with only tons of cream, to be an absolute must in the filling.”
Carlos, belated marzipan fan
“Nutty almond paste with whipped cream on a sweet fluffy bun, what’s not to like? And it is just perfect with coffee! Although, it’s far too large for one person to devour in one sitting, which is why I much prefer the mini-semla. The tradition of serving it on a plate with warm milk really confirms the view that many foreigners share of Swedish cuisine being strange and frankly at times off-putting.”
Ludvig, aspiring semla competition judge
But of course, the best way to settle this matter is to get out there and try a semla yourself. Glad fettisdagen!
// Claire