[Scandinavia and Cinnamon Rolls]

Cinnamon rolls are a sweet treat born in Scandinavia. When I visited Finland and Sweden, I was surprised to find cinnamon rolls in every cafe.

It is said that cinnamon rolls originated in Sweden, but many people probably think of that movie when they hear the word "cinnamon roll. The scene of the cinnamon rolls in the Japanese movie "Kamome Shokudo" set in Finland looked so delicious that it was etched in my memory as an elementary school student at the time, and I have been watching the movie regularly ever since. I had a small dream that one day I would go to Scandinavia and eat real cinnamon rolls, and a few years later, as an adult, that dream came true.

In Finnish, cinnamon rolls are called "korvapuusti," which directly translates to "slapped ear." As the humorous name suggests, Finnish cinnamon rolls are characterized by their slightly squashed shape, which is not often seen in Japan. In Finland, the dough is rolled up with cinnamon and cut into a cylindrical shape, then squeezed in the middle with fingers before baking, resulting in the swirls that can be seen in this shape. I also saw other shapes like twisted dough tied together, which is common in Sweden, as well as cute shapes like yarn balls. Incidentally, I ate cinnamon rolls here and there in Finland, but what surprised me when they came out was their size. The rolls were relatively large and filling in all the stores I visited. I imagined that it was because they are so familiar that some people eat them as a meal instead of as a snack.

The most memorable one is probably the cinnamon roll I had at "Cafe Aalto" in the Akademia Bookstore in Helsinki. This is also the location of the scene in the movie "Kamome Shokudo" where Satomi Kobayashi's character Sachie and Hairi Katagiri's character Midori meet. The Academia Bookstore was designed by Alvar Aalto, a leading Finnish architect. Surrounded by Aalto-designed furniture and eating cinnamon rolls in a cafe located on the second floor of the beautiful bookstore, which is flooded with natural light from the skylight. The cinnamon rolls themselves were moist and delicious, with no dryness at all. Authentic Scandinavian cinnamon rolls usually contain a spice called cardamom in the dough, and the cinnamon and cardamom spice gives them a more mature and addictive flavor that is not too sweet but goes well with coffee.

The Kiya Sukiyaki Pots we carry can be used over direct heat, induction, and even in the oven for baking. The pot has a metal ring called a kamakan, which can be removed when putting it on the fire and put through the kamakan when carrying it, so that the hot pot can be moved from the oven without using a pot holder. It is nice to feel the fusion of Japanese and foreign cultures, making foreign sweets with Japanese tools. Why don't you all procure cinnamon and cardamom and try making authentic Scandinavian cinnamon rolls?

Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sukiyaki.html

References
https://fudge.jp/culture_life/food/56212/
https://www.cotta.jp/special/article/?p=26021