Swedish seymour sales have increased sharply in Norway in recent years. We hear about more and more bakeries and stores now producing and selling these Shrovetide cakes from the neighboring country. Semlor is filled with almond cream instead of whipped cream and jam, like traditional Norwegian Shrovetide cakes, says Torunn Nordbø, general manager of the Information Office for Bread and Cereals, in a press release.
1 in 5 Norwegians prefer semlor
Brodogkorn and MatPrat conducted a survey on their Instagram accounts this weekend. What do Norwegians like to eat on the sweetest Sunday in February; Norwegian Shrovetide or Swedish Smollor?
1058 Norwegians chose Shrove as their favorite Tuesday. 81% voted for Shrovetide cakes and 19% for semlor. Some bakeries say they sell more semolina than shrovetide cakes.
These are incomprehensible statistics. Swedes can take a bowl of their sticky creations. I like that the dishes melt softly on the tongue, with the traditional blend of cream and jam, says Pål Henrik Kristiansen at MatPrat.
– hesitant. Our semolina has a lot more character than the Norwegian kind, with a rich almond taste and often delicious crunchy toppings. These are cakes made for Swedish tastes and “fikan” – the daily Swedish coffee break at 14, fellow counter and Swedish Louise Tørngren.
Cakes from cute brother challenge Norwegian Shrovetide Balls. Photo: brodogkorn.no
Now there will be other cakes – Cakes for Fat Tuesday
Semlor is the popular and traditional Swedish alternative to Shrovetide buns – also called “Fat Tuesdays buns”. The tradition was to eat these foods on Fat Tuesday, and now semlor is eaten before and after. The name semlor comes from the Latin word “simla” which means “the finest wheat flour”.
The vessels are hollowed out after frying. Then the guts from the bowls are mixed with the almond filling and returned to the bowls. Before serving, fill the bowls with large quantities of whipped cream and powdered sugar. Torunn Nordbø explains that we learn about the last bit of traditional Norwegian Shrovetide cake, in which juicy wheat cakes are filled with whipped cream and jam.
According to the Swedish Semla Academy, there are three criteria for naming a semlor.
1. A beautiful bowl of pure cardamom.
2. Almond paste (not marshmallows).
3. Cream.
Standards do not require a shape, lid, or icing on top.
In recent years, Swedish bakers have created new types of semlor in terms of design and the use of semmel’s flavor in other products. We can mention semmelwraps, kremlor, princess semlan, semmel smoothie, and semmelkladdkake. Maybe it’s time for Norwegian bakeries to introduce more varieties of Shrovetide cakes?
Try yourself on a sweet brother?
If you want to try Swedish semlor Shrove Tuesday, you’ll find the recipe here.
If you, like 81% of other Norwegians, prefer Norwegian Shrovetide cakes, you’ll find the classic recipe here.