Saffranspannkaka

Saffranspannkaka, also called gotlandspannkaka, is a baked dessert from the Swedish island of Gotland and is counted among the island's provincial dishes. It is a rice pudding enriched with cream, milk, sugar, egg and chopped almonds, scented and coloured with saffron, then baked in the oven. It can be eaten lukewarm or cold, and tradition serves it with dewberry jam and whipped cream. Its roots lie in medieval cooking, when wealthy households served flavoured and coloured rice puddings, and Gotland's place in the Hanseatic League gave access to costly spices. It became associated with Christmas, where it is sometimes made from leftover Christmas pudding, and was also served at anniversaries, weddings and funerals. In the later twentieth century it became a well known tourism symbol of Gotland and was named the island's provincial dish.