Dr. Oetker Stories
Saffron cookies and gingerbread cookies for the Lucia festival
December 13 is Lucia Day in Sweden. Our Swedish colleagues celebrate with cookies, candles and singing.
13.12.2023 • Company and Culture
It feels like Christmas comes around faster every year... Sometimes it can happen that the best parts, namely the festivity and contemplation, fall by the wayside. Sweden does have some things to hold on to it: One is the Lucia Festival of Lights on December 13 which makes more than just children's eyes light up and some recipes to bake traditional cookies.
When winter arrives in the northern hemisphere and the nights turn longer and longer, the Lucia Festival of Lights is celebrated in Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia. This includes a procession of singers in white robes, led by a Lucia carrying a wreath of candles on her head. With the traditional songs and candles, the singers bring light and peace into the dark wintertime. Lucia is celebrated by young and old, in schools, offices, kindergardens and in all media.
Our colleagues at Dr. Oetker in Sweden are also active with their children every year to celebrate Lucia in style. On the images you can see the children of our employees Martina Hultquist, Product Manager Dr. Oetker Sweden, and Robert Linander, Key Account Manager Dr. Oetker Sweden, in their dresses.
Traditional baked goods for Saint Lucy's Day
Of course, the corresponding pastries are a must for the Lucia festival. “Lussekatter", or "Lucia cats", are traditional. The S-shaped saffron cookies are baked from sweet yeast dough and then decorated with two raisins at either end as "cat eyes". Of course, there is also a traditional Lussekatter recipe from our colleagues at Dr. Oetker in Sweden! If you want to be inspired for the winter season and feel the anticipation, why not give it a try with the original recipe from our Swedish colleagues.
In addition to the Lussekatter, the Swedish gingerbread cookies, the "Pepparkakor", should not be missed, which offer an aromatic addition to the sweet winter cookies. Of course, there is also a recipe from Dr. Oetker Sweden.
