Swedish word of the day: kanelbulle
Our chosen Swedish word of the day – kanelbulle – is very appropriate on this day: October 4th is Sweden's Cinnamon Bun Day.
But let's get into the meaning of the word first.
Kanelbulle is a composition of the words kanel, which means "cinnamon" and bulle, which means "bun" or "small bread roll". Kanel comes from the Middle Low German kanēl which in turn comes from the Latin word canna, which translates to "reed" or "cane".
Long story short: kanelbulle means "cinnamon bun".
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The plural is kanelbullar and when else would you have several kanelbullar than on cinnamon bun day?
In the 1920s, cinnamon buns as we know them today rose to their sugary fame and have been deeply connected to the Swedish culture ever since. Today, they are Sweden's most beloved pastry and exist in all shapes and sizes – from the traditional ones to some with colourful toppings or filled with blueberries (although the latter two perhaps mainly abroad as Swedes tend to prefer the traditional version).
Kanelbullens dag (National Cinnamon Bun Day) was invented in 1999 when Sweden's Home Baking Council tried to think of ways to celebrate the organisation's 40th anniversary. Perfectly gauging the tastes of a nation, it announced the introduction of an annual feast day.
The word kanelbulle is also sometimes used to describe the @ symbol, because of the way it looks.
Examples:
Jag vill ha en kanelbulle, tack
I would like a cinnamon bun, please
I kväll ska jag baka kanelbullar
I'm going to make cinnamon buns tonight
Va?! Tycker du inte om kanelbullar?
What?! Don't you like cinnamon buns?
Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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But let's get into the meaning of the word first.
Kanelbulle is a composition of the words kanel, which means "cinnamon" and bulle, which means "bun" or "small bread roll". Kanel comes from the Middle Low German kanēl which in turn comes from the Latin word canna, which translates to "reed" or "cane".
Long story short: kanelbulle means "cinnamon bun".
- Would you like to listen to a daily Swedish Word of the Day podcast? Take The Local's survey to let us know what you think!
The plural is kanelbullar and when else would you have several kanelbullar than on cinnamon bun day?
In the 1920s, cinnamon buns as we know them today rose to their sugary fame and have been deeply connected to the Swedish culture ever since. Today, they are Sweden's most beloved pastry and exist in all shapes and sizes – from the traditional ones to some with colourful toppings or filled with blueberries (although the latter two perhaps mainly abroad as Swedes tend to prefer the traditional version).
Kanelbullens dag (National Cinnamon Bun Day) was invented in 1999 when Sweden's Home Baking Council tried to think of ways to celebrate the organisation's 40th anniversary. Perfectly gauging the tastes of a nation, it announced the introduction of an annual feast day.
The word kanelbulle is also sometimes used to describe the @ symbol, because of the way it looks.
Examples:
Jag vill ha en kanelbulle, tack
I would like a cinnamon bun, please
I kväll ska jag baka kanelbullar
I'm going to make cinnamon buns tonight
Va?! Tycker du inte om kanelbullar?
What?! Don't you like cinnamon buns?
Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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