Talk:Sju sorters kakor

Just cookies?
My impression is that my grandparents and some of their acquaintances (in Swedish-speaking Finland) engaged in the tradition when they invited guests. I did not count plates, but the phrase "sju sorters kaka och karamel" was well-known (here with the addition of confectionery), and the serving might have been made to conform. Trying to reconstruct the serving I remember best (the hostess served more or less the same every time, perhaps adding or substituting a berry or rhubarb pie in season):


 * buns, perhaps also slices of a loaf of plaited cinnamon bun
 * cookies, a few types, but (most?) served on the same plate and perhaps made from the same dough
 * cakes, usually three types, I think, perhaps a pie or two
 * a layered cake
 * confectionery, served to each guest by the hostess

(There might have been sandwiches, but if so, they were not counted.)

I was a child at the time, but have heard about similar servings, where there were strict unwritten rules about what you were allowed to serve yourself to the first, second and third cup of coffee.

If the tradition was the same in Sweden, as you see, this was not only about cookies. Maybe you could get away with just seven types of cookies, but this hostess would never have done that (to the Saturday party she regularly hosted; somebody just turning up for coffee would have had something simpler, although she spoiled us when we were there playing with her grandchildren).

–LPfi (talk) 20:49, 14 December 2022 (UTC)


 * The source Kafferepet : Trugandets värdskap of the Swedish article talks about "mjuka kakor" as (possible?) part of the serving. The above-mentioned cakes seem to match. I suppose that whether you just served cookies or also had cakes depended on the type of party. –LPfi (talk) 21:09, 14 December 2022 (UTC)
 * @LPfi, I believe that something like buns or cakes might also be included, but I don't have a source for it. The Kafferepet source sounds plausible (but could that refer to something like a Madeleine (cake), and is a madeleine a cake or a cookie?).  My impression (which may be wrong!) was that the Swedish tradition might not include a fancy layer cake, but might include a simple pound cake, coffee cake, or a cinnamon roll.  I saw no sources making this claim, and I was reading some sources through the imperfect eyes of machine translation, but my overall impression was that typical treats stored well in the cupboard and were not too messy to eat with your fingers.  I can't be certain any longer, because it's been so long since I read the sources, but I believe that one source mentioned candies (like a bonbon). WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:07, 27 February 2024 (UTC)