The lovely lussebulle

We have quite a few tasty traditions in Sweden. There’s the fika and kanelbulle, of course, the semla season, and pancakes with whipped cream on Thursdays. Then there’s the lovely lussebulle season, and it’s just started. A bit too early, to be honest. Traditionally, it runs from late November. That’s the thing with most traditions these days, isn’t it? It feels like they’re getting stretched each year. In a few years, we’ll take midsommarstången down on the same day as we put up the Christmas tree. Or maybe it’s just me getting old... Anyway, today I got my hands on this season’s first lussebulle, also known as lussekatt (Lucia cat). It’s a tasty, sweet saffron-flavored bun, shaped like a reversed S and decorated with raisins. A common misunderstanding is that the shape is meant to resemble a cat’s tail, hence the “Lucia cat” name. The truth is that it’s a sun symbol, believed to keep evil spirits away and invite the return of the light during the dark season. So, hopefully I’m safe…