St. Lucia Saffron Buns Recipe, Swedish Lussekatter Rolls (2024)

FAQs

Where did the lussekatter come from? ›

In the 19^th century in western Sweden, young women on the large farms would dress as an angel with a wreath of candles in their hair and serve the breakfast before sunrise. It is thought this is where the origin of lussekatter, the saffron buns, came to be.

Why is it called Lussekatter? It is thought that the buns were originally modeled after a sleeping cat (the S-shape being the curled up tail), believed to ward off the devil.

Originally, the buns were called djävulskatter (“devil cats”), but later the name changed to the more polite lussekatter (“Lucia cats”). The dough is sweet and soft, but spiced with a generous amount of saffron to make it bright yellow.

A saffron bun, Cornish tea treat bun or revel bun, is a rich, spiced yeast-leavened sweet bun that is flavoured with saffron and contains dried fruit including currants and raisins similar to a teacake. The main ingredients are plain flour, butter, yeast, caster sugar, currants and sultanas.

St. Lucia is celebrated throughout the world, and honored by many cultures. In Sweden, Lucia symbolizes the coming end of the long winter nights and the return of light to the world.

St Lucia is well-known for its vast variety of birdlife! The national bird of St Lucia is the Saint Lucian Parrot (the Amazona versicolor), which is one of five native parrot species and 157 bird species that live on the island.

St Lucia buns, or Lussekatter are Swedish buns eaten for breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon treat on the 13^th December, or St Lucia Day. The saffron gives a lovely cheerful appearance to the buns, which is just perfect in the depths of the dark winter (and especially so in Sweden!).

Lucia meaning light, Santa Lucia is also the patron saint of the blind, the eyes, the electricians, the oculists and the stonemasons, and is often invoked for eye diseases. As the patron saint of sight, she is also sollicited for sight problems, such as myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia or blindness.

One of the most exotic Swedish traditions is Lucia, celebrated on 13 December. Lucia arrives in the morning, with her handmaidens and star boys; in white robes, carry candles and sing Lucia songs. The tradition has its roots far back in history.

Banana bread is a popular dessert choice in Saint Lucia.

What do they eat in St Lucia for Christmas? ›

Embrace the differences of a traditional St Lucian Christmas dinner as you tuck into roast lamb with sweet potatoes, plantains or yams in place of the usual turkey and trimmings. Ready for a festive tipple?

If you don't have saffron or simply want to make St Lucia buns without saffron, you can use turmeric instead, to give the lussekatter their classic yellow color. Or some people choose to add turmeric on top of the saffron, to make the buns extra yellow.

Despite being the world's most expensive spice, saffron is widely used in Swedish food. It features heavily around Christmas time in saffransbullar (saffron buns), but it is also used in a number of other sweet and savoury dishes. It is used both because of its bright yellow colour and its distinctive flavour.

In general, the consumption of saffron carries little risk. Cooking with saffron is a great way to add it to the diet without the risk of consuming too much of this spice. Taking up to 1.5 grams of saffron each day is generally safe, but eating too much can be toxic. Researchers consider 5 g to be a toxic dose.

Saint Lucia's Day is a celebration of light that takes place during the darkest part of the year. In Scandinavia, where Saint Lucia's Day began, winter days are very dark during the solstice. Ancient pagan solstice celebrations included bonfires and ceremonies to ward off evil.

Lucia Day – also called Saint Lucy's day – can be traced back to the 4th century. A Christian feast day, it commemorates the martyr Lucia of Syracuse, who, as legend has it, brought food to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs, lighting her way with a candlelit wreath on her head.

According to tradition, St. Lucy consecrated her virginity to God, angering a suitor. She was reported to the Roman authorities and was eventually sentenced to death by fire. Although she miraculously survived the flames without harm, she was then fatally stabbed in the neck.