The Classic Swedish Lenten Treat That Stellan Skarsgård Loves

Prolific Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, known for his varied roles across Hollywood and European cinema, is a fan of semla — a popular Lenten fixture from his home country. The cardamom-infused bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream is the only sweet dish he mentioned when describing his favorite Swedish foods to Shortlist in 2019. "I'm not very much of a dessert man, but this traditional dessert is something you eat before Lent," said the Oscar-nominated actor. "The best way to eat it is to put it in a deep dish and then pour hot milk on the sides ... you take a spoonful of that, and you have this warm, soft bread with milk, and you have the cold marzipan and cold cream on the same spoon, and that is delicious." This method, known as hetvägg, is the traditional way to serve semla. It is also commonly eaten without milk.

Semla originated as part of the customary Shrove Tuesday feast and is Sweden's contribution to the world's varied Mardi Gras pastries. Before the trend of enhancing it with almond paste and cream caught on, soaking the simple cardamom bun in hot milk was more common. "You make cuts around the bun and the milk seeps in, and the bread sort of falls apart and becomes very slimy," Skarsgård noted, explaining the pleasures of eating semla the old-school way. He's a fan of many of his home country's staple dishes, and included iconic Swedish foods like crayfish and meatballs in his list of favorites.

Stellan Skarsgård is far from the only Swede to embrace semla season. Between 40 and 50 million semlor (plural of semla) are sold in Sweden annually — roughly four times the nation's population. Semla is no longer restricted to Shrove Tuesday (also called Fat Tuesday or "fettisdagen" in Swedish) and is widely consumed during Lent. The beloved treat becomes available soon after Christmas but has a strict cut-off at Easter.

The immense popularity of Sweden's Fat Tuesday buns is rooted in the country's love for all kinds of yeasty dough confections. From the ubiquitous cinnamon buns – integral to Sweden's famous practice of fika, or coffee breaks, to saffron-tinged lussekatter, which are shaped like cat tails and part of Swedish holiday tradition in the weeks preceding Christmas. Cardamom is another fixture of Swedish baking. Kardemummabulle, a knotted and layered cardamom bun, has its own celebratory day on May 15. 

As is often the case with traditional confections, modern semla iterations abound. Some bakeries substitute classic almond paste for pistachio cream or chocolate. The semmelwrap reimagines the bun as a flat dough with the fillings enveloped inside. These days, semla, like Scandinavian bakeries and coffee shops themselves, has quietly gone international. Keep an eye out for it between January and April, and you might get to try one of Skarsgård's favorite desserts just in time for your fika.