The Infamous Bunspiracy: How Vastlakukkel destroyed Monarchy in Sweden and appeared at the table of Estonians
- Vana Lugu
- Feb 3, 2024
- 4 min read
In 1755, Anna Christina Warg published the book "Household Aid for Young Women" (Hjelpreda I Hushållningen För Unga Fruentimber).
In the soup section of the book, there was a receipt of "Hetwagg med Mandel" - Hotwall with Almonds.
"Take small round wheat bread buns and slice a round plate from the top, then dig out all the insides and put it in a bowl, soak it with sweet cream or milk and mix it well with a spoon; take an egg for each bun and mix in to the wet bread, add to it peeled and fairly finely crushed almonds, sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter for each bun and a little salt. Stir this well together and put on a fire pot so that nothing solidifies, then fill in the empty buns, and lay the round plate on top, tie well around with thick string, so that the plate remains in place, and put the buns in a wide pot so that they can stand next to each other, then pour milk in the same pot, but not so much that it submerges them, and then let boil for half and hour. In another container boil a "stop" of sweet milk or more, depending on the quantity of the bread, and put in it a little sugar and butter; When it is to be served, the string is removed and the buns are placed in a deep dish, the boiled milk is thickened with two egg yolks, then a little milk is poured on the buns and the rest is poured into a bowl to carry in when eaten." - Anna Christina Warg, 1755
Unfortunately, this was a cannon event for the life of the Swedish King - Adolf Frederick (1710-1771).
On the morning of the 12th of February, the 60-year-old king woke up and remembered that it was Fettisdagen (literally meaning ‘Fat Tuesday’- Shrove Tuesday). As the following day would have been the beginning of Lent, Adolf Frederick decided to have a meal the night before. The legend says that the king feasted on lobsters, caviar, sauerkraut, kippers, and champagne. By the end of the dinner, 14 hetvägg appeared on the table: sweet rolls filled with cream traditionally eaten in Sweden on Fettisdagen. Unfortunately, the king did not survive the night.
"On February 12, 1771, His Majesty felt quite well most of the day. He had eaten a fine dinner with a good appetite: after the meal, His Majesty was cheerful, happy and content, but at about 8 o`clock in the evening, His Majesty was attacked rather hastily by a violent stomach cramps. His Majestysat down on the nearest chair by the door, the colour of his face chaned, and then at once gave up his precious spirit." - Royal Physician Herman Schützercrantz
Whether it's true or not, myths, legends and history are about learning. We can say with certainty that 13 hetvägg (semlor) is a limit, and don't eat much before sleep in your 60s. Maybe it's Karma. Sweden likely "got inspired" by the concept of semlor from a similar tradition in Germany in the late 16th century. Ethnologist Nils-Arvid Bringéus from Lund University suggests that semlor started to spread in southern and mid-parts of Sweden during the 18th century, often referred to as hetwegg or hetvägg. The oldest recipe I've found comes from Susanna Egerin's 1737 cookbook. It features a cinnamon-flavoured filling of raisins and currants. To top it off, you fry the lid in butter.
Nevertheless, after the successful assassination of the King, ten years later, hetvägg appeared at the Baltic Germans table in Estonia. In 1781, Johann Lithander translated book of Anna Warg from Swedish to Estonian with a specific focus on cooking food, leaving all the rest of advice out of the scope of the book.
In the next century, other cookbooks described similar receipts:
„Uus Kögi- ja Kokka Ramat” (1824, Katharina Fehre) mentions receipts similar to the Vastlakukel as German New Year's cakes. Cakes should be baked slowly or inside, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and eaten warm.
„Kasulise köögi- ja majapidamisraa matu” (1896, Lyda Pancki). It was very popular among urban Estonian families, and we find the receipt of "vastlapäeva leivad"! The filling was placed inside the hollowed-out pastry, the lids were put on, chopped almonds and powdered sugar were sprinkled on top, and lightly baked.
„Kokaraamat 1331 söögivalmistamise õpetusega” (1900, Jaan Koori). Famous Chef recommends filling the bun with cold whipped cream as well as a hot mixture of chopped almonds, walnuts, lemon zest, egg yolks, boiling heavy cream and pastry filling.
In 1947, Heinz Pirang was a refugee in post-war Germany and drew 40 "important objects" from Estonia and Latvia such as churches, cities, foods and people. One of the four foods included in the pack is the vastlakukkel.
In Estonia, Vastlakukel is eaten Vastlapäev (Shrove Tuesday, 7 weeks before Easter). It was believed that baking and consuming bread ensured healthy livestock. Not sure what we have to believe now, but cream-filled rolls made with rose water are still popular today. The use of cream in Estonian and Latvian desserts is very common because these societies have been agrarian, so it has always been available "even during the bad times".
Nowadays, vastlakukkel is not bathed in hot milk, but it does not make it less delicious. In the next two weeks, we'll see more and more of these buns, and let's remember to enjoy them and keep the limit to 13 vastlakukkel per dinner.
Resources used:
Estonian Tastes and Traditions, Karin Annus Karner, 2005
Vastlakuklid: The history of Estonia's traditional Shrove Tuesday treat. Link: https://news.err.ee/1608516245/vastlakuklid-the-history-of-estonia-s-traditional-shrove-tuesday-treat
PÄEVAINTERVJUU Vastlakukli kirev ajalugu - kuidas jõudis baltisaksa maius meie lauale? Link: https://arvamus.postimees.ee/3574179/paevaintervjuu-vastlakukli-kirev-ajalugu-kuidas-joudis-baltisaksa-maius-meie-lauale
Vastlakukli põnev ajalugu: millal see hõrk kuklike meie toidulauale jõudis? Link: https://omamaitse.delfi.ee/artikkel/92571033/vastlakukli-ponev-ajalugu-millal-see-hork-kuklike-meie-toidulauale-joudis
Folklore, Electronic Journal of Folklore, http://www.folklore.ee/folklore, Printed version.Vol. 71, 2018. Link: http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol71/laineste.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20080216203516/http://www.thelocal.se/6470/20070220/
Viires, Ants, 1985. Kokaraamatud kultuuriloo kajastajatena. Keel ja Kirjandus 3, lk 158–166.
https://globalestonian.com/en/event/vastlakukli-konkurss-shrove-bun-contest
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