Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the start of Lent, which is the fasting period immediately preceding Easter. Lent lasts for 40 days, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday, which falls on the week before Easter. Since Shrove Tuesday falls 47 days before Easter, the date of this day changes every year depending on when Easter falls. This year, Shrove Tuesday is today, 25th of February. The English name “Shrove Tuesday” comes from the word shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins through confession and penance. It is therefore a day traditionally observed by Christians as a time for self-examination and a contemplation of wrongdoings that need to be repented. Shrove Tuesday is also called for example Mardi Gras in French, and Fettisdagen in Swedish, which both literally translate to "Fat Tuesday". The name “Fat Tuesday” refers to the practice of eating richer and fattier foods on this day to prepare for the upcoming fast, where such foods are not consumed.
Shrove Tuesday is accompanied by different traditions in different countries. In Portuguese-, Spanish- and Italian-speaking countries, the day is known as Carnival, and is usually celebrated with street processions, the most well-known of these being the Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In Denmark and Norway, a holiday known as Fastelavn is celebrated on the Sunday or Monday before Shrove Tuesday. Fastelavn is usually celebrated with children dressing up and going out to gather treats from their neighbours, which makes it a tradition similar to Halloween. In English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland, Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day, since pancakes are traditionally eaten on this day. In Scandinavia, as well as in Finland and Estonia, it is instead common to eat buns, known as semlor in Sweden (and fastlagsbullar in Finland), vastlakukkel in Estonia, and fastelavnsboller in Denmark and Norway. In Denmark and Norway (and in some variants in Finland and Estonia) the buns are usually filled with jam, and sometimes vanilla cream.
In Sweden, semlor are cardamom buns filled with almond paste/marzipan and whipped cream. In recent years, bakeries and cafés have started getting creative with semlor, creating new versions of this traditional pastry, such as the “semmelwrap”. Today, semlor are most commonly eaten as “fika”, that is, served with a beverage of your choice, throughout February and March, but it used to be more common to serve semlor in a bowl of warm milk, known as “hetvägg”, which literally means “hot wall”. Eating a semla or two on Shrove Tuesday will most likely not have any adverse effects on your health, but it is probably best not to go overboard with your consumption. Why am I saying this? Well, the potential danger of eating too much fatty foods has been duly demonstrated by the Swedish King Adolf Fredrik who died in 1771 after eating too much hetvägg... But do not let this discourage you! Today is the perfect day to try semlor if you have never eaten them before!
Want to try making semlor yourself? Check out the recipe below! Happy Shrove Tuesday!
Swedish semlor
Makes 12 buns
Ingredients
75 g butter
3 dl milk
50 g fresh yeast
3 ml salt
6 tbsp sugar
3 ml ground cardamom
3 ml baking powder
6-9 dl flour
Optional: 1 egg
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave (or in a saucepan on the stove) and add the milk
2. Heat up the mixture to to finger temperature (37°C) before adding the yeast; stir until dissolved
3. Mix in the salt, sugar, cardamom and baking powder
4. Add half of the flour. Work the dough with a large (wooden) fork or spoon. Continue adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
5. Lift the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
6. Divide the dough into 12 equally sized lumps and roll them into buns.
7. Put the buns on a baking tray covered with baking paper and let them raise for half an hour.
8. Heat the oven to 225°C.
9. If you want, you can glaze the buns with a bit of egg to make them shiny.
10. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
To serve
Almond paste/marzipan
Whipped cream
Optional: Powdered sugar
Cut the buns in half (the top half should be slightly smaller). Press down the inside of the bottom half to make room for the filling. Fill the bun with the desired amount of almond paste/marzipan and whipped cream. Put the top half back, and sprinkle with powdered sugar for an extra flourish. Done!
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