Semla

Asemla,vastlakukkel,laskiaispulla,Swedish eclair,fastlagsbulle/fastelavnsbolleorvēja kūkasis a traditionalsweet rollmade in various forms inSweden,Finland,Estonia,Denmark, theFaroe Islands,Iceland,Norway,andLatvia, associated withLentand especiallyShrove Tuesdayin most countries,Shrove Mondayin Denmark, parts of southern Sweden, Iceland and Faroe Islands or Sunday ofFastelavnin Norway. In Sweden it is most commonly known as justsemla(plural:semlor), but is also known asfettisdagsbulle,lit.'Fat Tuesday bun'or'Shrove Tuesday bun'. In the southern parts of Sweden, as well as inSwedish-speaking Finland, it is known asfastlagsbulle(plural:fastlagsbullar;semlaon the other hand means a plain wheat bun with butter, calledbullein Swedish). In Poland it is known asptyś. In Estonia it is calledvastlakukkel. In Norway and Denmark it is calledfastelavnsbolle. In Iceland, it is known as abollaand served onBolludagur. InFaroe Islandsit is calledFøstulávintsbolli, and is served onFøstulávintsmánadagur. In Latvia, it is calledvēja kūkas.Semlaserved in a bowl of hot milk ishetvägg.
The namesemla(plural:semlor) is a loan word from Middle Low Germansemmel, originally deriving from theLatinsimila, meaning 'flour', itself a borrowing from Greekσεμίδαλις(semidalis), which was the name used for the finest qualitywheatflour.In the southernmost part of Sweden (Scania) and by theSwedish-speaking population in Finland, they are known asfastlagsbulle. In Denmark and Norway they are known asfastelavnsbolle(fastlagenandfastelavnbeing the equivalent ofShrove Tuesday). InScanian, the feast is also calledfastelann. In Finnish they are known aslaskiaispulla(which refers to the Finnishlaskiainen), in Latvian asvēja kūkas, and in Estonian asvastlakukkel.
Today, the Swedish-Finnishsemlaconsists of acardamom-spicedwheatbun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with a mix ofmilkandalmond paste, topped withwhipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted withpowdered 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 ofpineapple on pizza, i.e. usually not taken too seriously).InFinland-Swedish,semlameans 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 eatingsemlaevery Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Every year, at around the same time that the Swedish bakeries fill withsemlor, local newspapers start to fill withsemlataste tests. Panels of 'experts' dissect and inspect tables full ofsemlorto find the best in town.
Some bakeries have created alternative forms of the pastry, such as the "semmelwrap" formed as awraprather than the traditional bun, while others have added e.g. chocolate,marzipan, or pistachios to the recipe.
In Finland andEstoniathe traditional dessert predates Christian influences.Laskiaissunnuntaiandlaskiaistiistai, both days included inlaskiainen, 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,laskea. Nowadayslaskiainenhas been integrated into Christian customs as the beginning of lent before Easter.
In Estonia,vastlakukkelis often a cardamom-spiced wheat bun with whipped cream onlyor with jam or marzipan filling added. Similarly to Finland,vastladorvastlapäev(Shrove Tuesday) involves sledding. Estonians believed that the one with the longest slide would have the bestflaxcrop yield – specifically the longer the crop, the longer fiber which would mean a higher qualitylinentextile could be produced.
Fastelavnsbolleconsists of acardamom-spicedwheatbun which has its top cut off, and is then filled withwhipped cream, topped withjam. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. The buns are served at Sunday ofFastelavn(Shrove Sunday), but were previously associated withShrove Tuesday.
The version sold in Danish bakeries on or aroundShrove Mondayis rather different, made frompuff pastryand filled withwhipped 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 withraisins,succadeand sometimescandiedbitter orangepeel.
In Iceland it is done in a similar way but in place of puff pastry more common is thechoux pastryversion.
In Icelandic, Shrove Monday is calledbolludagur(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.
The oldest version of thesemlawas a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. In Swedish this is known ashetvägg, from Middle Low Germanhete Weggen('hotwedges') or Germanheisse Wecken('hot buns') andfalsely interpretedas "hotwall".
Thesemlawas originally eaten only onShrove Tuesday, or all of the three days before Lent, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with the arrival of theProtestant Reformation, the Swedes stopped observing a strictfastfor Lent.  Thesemlain its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today,semlorare available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average four to five bakery-producedsemloreach year, in addition to any that are homemade.
According to a popular myth, KingAdolf Frederick of Swedendied of digestion problems on February 12, 1771, after consuming ahetvägg(semla), the king's favorite dessert, after a meal consisting ofsauerkraut, turnips, caviar, smoked herring, and champagne.In recent versions of the legend, thesemlahas turned into 14, and sometimes into cinnamon buns.
This was the sweet chosen to represent Finland in theCafé Europeinitiative of the Austrian presidency of theEuropean Union, onEurope Day2006.