A semmelwrap is a variation of the Swedish semla, a cardamom-flavoured bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. The semla is traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday. The ingredients of the semmelwrap are similar to those in a standard semla. The key difference between a traditional semla and the semmelwrap is that the dough is rolled thin and baked lightly, so that it can be rolled as a sandwich wrap around the whipped cream and almond paste.[1][2]
The semmelwrap was invented by Mattias Ljungberg at Tössebageriet, a bakery in Östermalm, Stockholm. It was launched in January 2015 ahead of the semla season.[3][4][5] According to Ljungberg the ambition had been to design a semla pastry that one could eat "on the go".[5] The launching of the Semmelwrap quickly became a viral success, with broad coverage in Swedish publishing and social media.[6][7][8] By late January 2015 Tössebageriet claimed to be selling around 1,000 Semmelwraps per day.[9]
Neither the name nor the design of the pastry was trademark protected by its creator.[10] Other bakeries across the country soon began imitating the concept.[4][11][12][13] However, the habit of eating semla on Shrove Tuesday is a deep-rooted Swedish tradition and the concept of the semmelwrap was met with scepticism by people preferring traditional semlas.[14]