After a month of drinking snaps, hosting Julefrokost, and attending other Christmas celebrations, the new year brought calm and peace for Danes. They’ve now retreated into their homes for some weeks of social hibernation. Some of them describe this period as the strongest hit of the winter depression. For others, it’s time for Hvid Januar, or White January – a month of alcohol abstinence that aims to heal the body from the toll of December. While neighboring Sweden registers its lowest January temperature in 25 years (-43.5°C) and people fight the snow by skiing to work in the Norwegian capital, Denmark hasn’t been spared from the current cold wave. But the increasingly longer days start to encourage coffee dates and small gatherings at home.
If anything, fastelavnsboller is the one thing that motivates Danes to come out of hiding this week. This iconic pastry is inspired by Fastelavn, a carnival tradition celebrated by Danish children every year, seven weeks before Easter Sunday. Although Fastelaven doesn’t happen for several weeks yet, bakeries around the nation have already started displaying all forms of fastelavnsboller. Its most typical form, eaten in the Nordics, is a sweet, doughy bun with a soft custard filling and chocolate topping. However, the traditional version in Denmark is made of weinerbrød and has whipped cream as the star ingredient, often adding some jam or icing as well. The specialty will be available for you to try until Sunday, February 11. You can find variations of it in most bakeries in the country.
