There were multiple explanations for his cause of death, but the rumors about overeating may have been propaganda. It's also very possible that he was poisoned. Strange story.
this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
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No, that's the wrong sweet baked good - the story goes that he went to town on 14 servings of Hetvägg, the ancestor to the popular Semla.
We eat Semla for Shrove Tuesday in Sweden, which traditionally marked the beginning of the Lent and hence fasting until Easter. Another name for Semla is fastlagsbulle, which roughly translates to "fasting bun".
Hetvägg is a Semla served on a plate with hot milk.
If you have a Swedish bakery nearby, try seeing if they serve Semla. Or get one when you visit Sweden, if they are in season during your visit.
YUM. I get it. 14 seems like a lot but anyone who's had the munchies before knows that's downright doable.
Fwiw, that's not the traditional presentation. The traditional is, from bottom to top:
I've never seen one with jam, although people go wild with the variations these days.
"According to a popular myth, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771, after consuming a hetvägg (semla), the king's favorite dessert, after a meal consisting of sauerkraut, turnips, caviar, smoked herring, and champagne.[13] In recent versions of the legend, the semla has turned into 14, and sometimes into cinnamon buns."
Big Herring with the anti-Semla propaganda.