Semla Tasting Contest

Well, if someone's gotta handle the tough assignments, it might as well be me. The relocation service department (WIN) of the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Västsvenska Industri- och Handelskammaren) sponsored a semla tasting contest. This activity involved eating, judging, and scoring. How could I pass up that opportunity?

First, the basics. What is a semla? A semla is a wheat bun made with cardamom that is sliced in two, filled with almond paste and whipped cream, and dusted with powdered sugar. Now for an important distinction: multiple semlas are called semlor.
A good overview of the semla is here. Traditionally, semla was consumed on the last Tuesday before Lent, otherwise known as Fat Tuesday, or Fettisdagen in Swedish. But, Swedes cannot resist a sweet tasty treat. And so, you will see semla appearing in stores starting January and continuing on through Easter.

As part of the semla hype, newspapers have "Best Semla" competitions. And, so with Swedes weighing in on the best semla, it was thought to give non-Swedes a chance to test their taste buds and voice their opinion. Göteborg takes its semla seriously. There is even a semla academy in the city. There are established standards for making semla. More on what makes a good semla is here. Apparently, it's all about the almond paste.

I had tried a semla last year. And came away not being impressed at all. It was like eating a dinner roll with super light whipped cream. I don't even remember tasting any almond paste. Which may have been the problem. Still, plain [flavorless] whipped cream does nothing for me. I tried not to take this bias into the contest.

We tasted semlor from four different establishments; two of which were from the Best of Göteborg list. Each semla was cut into four pieces. As you can see below, cutting a semla is not always an easy task. But, the fresher (softer) the bun, the easier it is. This particular semla had a dry bun. Not so easy. And kind of messy.

Still, the pieces were big. And, I ended up having five. I had to resample Semla 1.

The results: the group chose the semla from ICA Focus, a grocery store, as the best. I used to love buying donuts, muffins, and cookies from the local grocery stores (Shaw's in Maine, King Sooper in Colorado, and Safeway in California). Just an unscientific observation.

Second place went to Brogyllen Konditori, which was voted #1 in the Best of survey. Interestingly, we rated the semla from Steinbrenner & Nyberg last; while the Best of survey rated it #2. My favorite was voted #3 overall. The almond paste was mild (not overpowering) and smooth. The cream, light but not too airy. And the bun was soft, moist, and slightly chewy. Cultural palettes diverge at the semla.