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.
He looks like he’s eyeing off those 14 sweet rolls in his portrait.
Adolf Fredrick: MmmmmmMmmmm I’m gonna devour those delectable little things.
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.
“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.
consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with whipped cream, topped with jam. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar.
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:
- spiced bun as quoted, with top cut off
- almond paste
- whipped cream (a generous amount)
- top as a lid, with powdered sugar
I’ve never seen one with jam, although people go wild with the variations these days.
So 13 is the safe limit? Right. Gotcha.
Popular stories about his death having resulted from a large meal (consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, kippers, and champagne as well as 14 helpings of his favourite dessert hetvägg of semla pastries and hot milk)[10][11] are considered propaganda by modern writers.[12]
Bad seafood or bitter almonds in the semla?
Bitter almonds contain 42 times higher amounts of cyanide than the trace levels found in sweet almonds. Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally but even in small doses, effects are severe or lethal, especially in children; the cyanide must be removed before consumption. The acute oral lethal dose of cyanide for adult humans is reported to be 0.5–3.5 mg/kg (0.2–1.6 mg/lb) of body weight (approximately 50 bitter almonds), so that for children consuming 5–10 bitter almonds may be fatal. Symptoms of eating such almonds include vertigo and other typical cyanide poisoning effects.
What’s the level of cinnamon toxicity?
Looks tasty.
I only had 8 today.
I think it was 14 at once
The Cinnamon Angels Fly, Fly Away charity could have prevented this
What would have happened if he had had 15 delicious, chewy, tasty cinnamon buns?
99% of cinnamon bun eaters die one bun before obtaining ultimate power!
Did he eat them in one go, or like over several months?
/jk
A perfect way to die
Does Trump like cinnamon buns?
Sounds like the King was cinnadone.
Should we all be so lucky
