Swedish vegan ginger cookies

When I was little, there was a Swedish school in a neighboring town Kosai. At this time of year, they used to have Lucia celebration, which was reported in local newspaper every year. It is one of the most well-known traditions in Sweden.

In the morning December 13, a young girl in a white long dress and a red sash with candles in a wreath on her head, who represents Saint Lucia, goes around in a house and gives out ginger cookies. Exactly 30 years ago, I was in a youth hostel in Stockholm and got a ginger cookie from Lucia. She and some other girls came to our room, singing a song with a mysterious melody. I can still remember how thrilling the song sounded in the darkness. Later, I learned that the name of the song was Staffansvisan, a song about Saint Stephen.

These days, ginger cookies are available all year round even in Hamamatsu. Annas Original Ginger Thins, which have been baked since 1929, are sold in Meijiya in the basement of Entetsu Department Store. It is interesting that these traditional ginger cookies are vegan while European cookies often feature their rich taste of butter. Annas Original Ginger Thins may be one of the most famous vegan sweets in the world.

As the name implies, they are thin and light. I couldn’t help but eat a few cookies before I took the picture. They were crispy and had delicate texture. It was a pity that I didn’t have coffee that might match these cookies, but they were still very good. I felt like also trying Annas Almond Thins and Orange Thins.

I’m thinking of Sweden. I have another unforgettable memory on Lucia Day. It was at the beginning of 2000s, and I stayed at my friend’s house in Mattisudden in Lappland. She showed me a Christmas card from her neighbor. On the card, I saw a picture of a boy adopted from Africa. I asked her why they adopted a child all the way from Africa though there were orphans in Sweden. She answered like this, “As Sweden is a rich country, even orphans can have a decent life. But children in Africa have much more severe living conditions. So, people adopt such children first.”

I was astonished because I had never thought of that before, and she said so as if it was a matter of course. I wondered how she could think like this. In Japan, adoption was very rare, and I didn’t think there were any children adopted from Africa even in Tokyo. Later, I concluded that their attitude about adoption had come from Christianity.

I have learned a lot from Swedish people. On my desk, there is a post card I got from her. The picture of the mountain was taken in Kiruna. Its shape is unique, and I never get tired of looking at it.