The 5th of February: J. L. Runeberg

Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born on 5 February 1804 into a Swedish-speaking family in Jakobstad, Finland on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia, while Finland still belonged to Sweden. 

His parents were sea captain Lorentz Ulrik Runeberg (1772–1828) and Anna Maria Malm (1782–1834). Great-grandfather Ludvig had moved to Finland from Sweden, and Anna Maria Malm was born into the merchant family from Jakobstad, which probably also had its roots in Sweden. 

Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish-Swedish writer and poet, who is considered Finland's national poet. From his most widely distributed work, "Fänrik Ståls sägner", published in two parts in 1848 and 1860 respectively, the text for Finland's national anthem, "Vårt land", has been taken, among other things. 

Johan Ludvig Runeberg died on 6 May 1877 in Borgå at the age of 73.

Runeberg was also involved in the work to modernize the Swedish Lutheran hymnal in Finland and he wrote many texts for the new edition. Runeberg composed in Swedish and his works were translated mainly into Finnish and then into many other languages. Johan Ludvig Runeberg was awarded the Grand Cross by the Swedish King. And the Order of the North Star 1873 13/5 (Commander 1860 24/5, Knight in the 1840s).  

Today, February 5, we celebrate Runeberg`'s Day and it is celebrated with an own pastry, namely the Runeberg Cake. A thick, cylinder-shaped pastry named after J. L. Runeberg, began to be baked by the innkeeper and sugar baker Lars Henrik Astenius in Borgå in the 1840s and was one of the poet's favorite pastries. Fredrik Ekberg's bakery in Helsinki was the first to market cakes with Runeberg's name already in 1856, during the poet's lifetime.

The Runeberg cake pastry

The recipe for about 20 cakes
Ingredients:

200 g butter or margarine
2 dl sugar
2 eggs
2 dl crust flour (breadcrumbs)
1 ½ dl wheat flour
2 dl coarsely ground almonds
just under 1 ½ tsp baking powder
barely ½ dl of cream
raspberry jam
½ tbsp water
1 dl powdered sugar
a few drops of lemon juice

-Mix butter and sugar. Add the eggs. Mix the flour, baking powder and almonds, add the mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the cream. Press the mixture into tall pastry cases or muffin tins. Bake the cakes at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let them cool.

-Stir together powdered sugar, water and lemon juice to make a mixture. Click a little raspberry jam on each cake and swirl the mixture in a ring around the jam.

-The cakes can possibly be drowned with rum or punch after they come from the oven and before you add the raspberry jam.

The Runeberg cake pastry is as famous as the poet himself and is eaten both at home and in cafes all over the country. The Runeberg cake unites Finland in a kind of national community and at the same time reminds us how important it is to preserve old traditions and protect our cultural history. It's just such a shame that after February 5, the pastry is forgotten and not given as much attention the rest of the year.