Semlan...nom nom nom

One of the greatest things about living is Europe is the seasonality of food! There are tons of foods and drinks which are only available certain times of the year. I guess this is the case everywhere but because of our great whether in SA I feel like we get everything (or at least most things) all year round.

One of late winter's seasonal pleasures is semlan! It is a treat which is unlikely to leave you wanting more because it is soooooooooooooooo sweet! But is also delicious!


I actually ate a semlan a couple of hours at a coffee shop and I can still feel it swirling in my stomach and I think I will have residual sweetness on my tongue till tomorrow. So if you are not a lover of sweet things semlan isn't for you! Accompanied by some bitter black coffee it makes for one hell of an energy boost and a great way to celebrate a fat Sunday!

Semlan, as you can see from the picture, is a bun filled with whipped cream. It also, however, as an almond paste at the bottom which gives it a unique flavour. Oddly enough this bun is not only rich in calories (+/- 500 calories) and flavour but also in history! It is thought (or at least mythologized) that King Adolf Fredrick died because he ate a semlan. Which funnily enough he washed down with a bottle of champagne! There is a lot more to this little bun including a fairy tale...all of which can be read from this very informative piece which also highlights different ways to eat semlan and a semlan recipe if you are keen! (Another cool semlan article can be read here aswell)

Just for a spot of fun....I found this Swedish video about semlan. I don't understand most of it but I guess the just of it is that semlan is awesome!