Editing Semla (section)

==History==
The oldest version of the ''{{Lang|sv|semla}}'' was a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. In Swedish this is known as {{Lang|sv|hetvägg}}, from Middle Low German {{Lang|gml|hete Weggen}} ('hot [[Wedge (mechanical device)|wedges]]') or German {{Lang|de|heisse Wecken}} ('hot buns') and [[False friend|falsely interpreted]] as "hotwall".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hincks|first=Rob|date=24 February 2006|title=Swedish semla: more than just a bun|url=http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Traditions/Reading/Swedish-semla-more-than-just-a-bun/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606090150/http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Traditions/Reading/Swedish-semla-more-than-just-a-bun/|archive-date=June 6, 2011|access-date=|website=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.semlor.nu/hetvagg-1340175 |title= Hetvägg |publisher= semlor.nu |author= Magnus Carlstedt |access-date= January 1, 2019 |archive-date= March 10, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190310053317/http://www.semlor.nu/hetvagg-1340175 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The {{Lang|sv|semla}} was originally eaten only on [[Shrove Tuesday]], or all of the three days before Lent, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with the arrival of the [[Protestant Reformation]], the Swedes stopped observing a strict [[Fasting in Christianity|fast]] for Lent.  The {{Lang|sv|semla}} in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, {{Lang|sv|semlor}} are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average four to five bakery-produced {{Lang|sv|semlor}} each year, in addition to any that are homemade.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=9 February 2005|title=Aftonbladet: Svenska folket laddar för fettisdagen|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,599993,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209004240/https://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,599993,00.html|archive-date=9 February 2005|access-date=|website=|language=sv}}</ref>

According to a popular myth, King [[Adolf Frederick of Sweden]] died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771, after consuming a ''{{Lang|sv|hetvägg}}'' ({{Lang|sv|semla}}), the king's favorite dessert, after a meal consisting of [[sauerkraut]], turnips, caviar, smoked herring, and champagne.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=12 February 2013|title=What's this cream bun I've been seeing everywhere in Sweden?|url=https://www.thelocal.se/20130212/6470|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216203516/http://www.thelocal.se/6470/20070220/|archive-date=16 February 2008|access-date=2021-02-04|website=www.thelocal.se}}</ref> In recent versions of the legend, the {{Lang|sv|semla}} has turned into 14, and sometimes into cinnamon buns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snopes.com: Death by Cinnamon Bun? The Mystery of King Adolf Frederick's Last Meal |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/death-by-cinnamon-bun-the-mystery-of-king-frederick-of-swedens-last-meal/ |publisher=[[Snopes]] |date=20 September 2023}}</ref>

This was the sweet chosen to represent Finland in the [[Café Europe]] initiative of the Austrian presidency of the [[European Union]], on [[Europe Day]] 2006.