Today the original meaning of ‘Fat Tuesday’, as the day when all fat and other perishables should be consumed before Lent, is lost on most Swedes. However, the tradition of eating typical Fat Tuesday buns is kept alive and well.
Filled with almond paste and whipped cream, the ‘semla’ dates back to the 16th century. Records suggest that they first became popular in Sweden in 1541.
On February 12, 1771, the Swedish King Adolf Fredrik reportedly passed away after consuming a luxurious banquet rounded off with 14 of these buns, served in a bowl of warm milk.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.
One of my more favourite days in the Swedish year is Fettisdagen or Fat Tuesday, which corresponds to Shrove Tuesday in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia and Mardi Gras in the USA and France. Though Sweden in itself is rather secular, Fettisdagen marks the last day before the period of Lent in the Christian tradition, a period of fasting and abstinence before Easter. And while some mark this day by feasting on pancakes, the Swedes have it as a day of eating semlor (singular: semla). Continue reading “Fettisdagen or Fat Tuesday, a day for semlor in Sweden”