Semla appears as a signature dish in 1 Sweden cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Semla (Lent cream bun) · Stockholm
A cardamom-spiced wheat bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream, dusted with icing sugar. Eaten on Fettisdagen (Shrove Tuesday) and through Lent across Sweden.
The semla descends from the medieval Lutheran Lent fast: the bun was the only sweet allowed on Fettisdagen (Shrove Tuesday) before the fast began. King Adolf Fredrik of Sweden died in 1771 from eating 14 semlor at his post-fast feast, the country's most-cited royal indigestion case. Vete-Katten (1928) and Tössebageriet (1920) bake the canonical Stockholm versions; pre-orders for Fettisdagen run two weeks ahead.
Where to eat in Stockholm:
- Vete-Katten
- Tössebageriet
- Lillebrors Bageri
- Fabrique Stenugnsbageri