Cardamom breads, including the Finnish (or ) and Swedish and , are a group of enriched breads or

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

flavored with

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...

. They are eaten throughout the year, typically with coffee or tea. Cardamom is a spice used in several Nordic countries in cakes, cookies, and biscuits, including traditional Finnish Christmas pastries.

() is a mildly sweet Finnish
sweet roll A sweet bread roll, roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, Baker's yeast, yeast-Leavening agent, leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spiced bun, spices, nut roll, nuts, fruit bun, candied fruits, etc., and ...
or dessert bread flavored with crushed
cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
seeds and occasionally
raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...
s or sliced
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...
s. Braided loaves () are formed from three or more strands of dough. The loaves may also be formed into a ring. They are typically coated with egg wash and then sprinkled with white sugar or almonds. Other types of include small round buns that resemble English scones but have a sugar and butter topping, and larger
cinnamon roll A cinnamon roll (also known as cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon scroll, cinnamon Danish and cinnamon snail) is a sweet roll commonly served in Northern Europe (mainly in Nordic countries, but also in Austria, Estonia, The Netherlands and ...
s called . The outside typically has a shiny, brown glaze, formed by a coating of
egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms a ...
,
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
or a mixture of
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
and brewed
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
. Usually is baked as a small, round,
brioche Brioche (, also , , ) is a bread of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb. Chef Joël Robuchon described it as "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and e ...
-style loaf, which is served whole, or as a long loaf called , which is sliced, and can be braided to make it more decorative and festive. Some variations are topping it with chopped
walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
s and vanilla icing, raisins added to the dough,
cinnamon roll A cinnamon roll (also known as cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon scroll, cinnamon Danish and cinnamon snail) is a sweet roll commonly served in Northern Europe (mainly in Nordic countries, but also in Austria, Estonia, The Netherlands and ...
s (called , sometimes topped with
pearl sugar Nib sugar (also pearl sugar and hail sugar) is a product of refined white sugar. The sugar is very coarse, hard, opaque white, and does not melt at temperatures typically used for baking. The product usually is made by crushing blocks of white s ...
or almond flakes), butter and sugar buns called , berry toppings and curd filled buns called . For special occasions,
saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
may be added to the dough to impart flavour and a yellow tint. In Finland, is often served with coffee. In cafeterias, the quality of the is considered a sign of the establishment's overall quality. is also common in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula of ...
and
Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...
, areas in the United States and Canada which have large Finnish populations. There it is also commonly known as , an old Finnish word still in use with the same meaning in some dialects, despite originally simply meaning 'wheat'. The term refers instead to a
biscotti Biscotti are Italian almond biscuits originating in the city of Prato, Tuscany. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, and crunchy. In Italy, they are known as , or and may be dipped in a drink, traditionally Vin Santo. Smaller biscotti ...
-like, double-baked breadstick for dunking in coffee that is often made from leftover .

In Sweden

Swedish cardamom breads include (bread) and (buns). Cardamom bread is considered a

traditional food Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...

among

Swedish American Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

s. Cardamom buns are eaten along with

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Recipe
Swedish cuisine Finnish cuisine Braided egg breads Sweet breads Cuisine of the Midwestern United States

In Sweden

See also

References

External links