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February 10 in Swedish History

The possibly only person in history to die from eating too many of the popular semla dies on this date.

February 10 in Swedish History
1771: Swedish King Adolf Fredrik dies of acute food poisoning at Stockholm Palace after having eaten too much, most famously of the beloved Swedish dessert “semla”. Adolf Fredrik, who was born in 1710, is succeeded by his son Gustav, who becomes King Gustav III. Gustav, who at the time is in Paris, receives the message of his father’s passing during an opera visit a month later and travels to Sweden immediately.
Quite a bit more on the semla: Time for a semla

On February 10 in 1771, King Adolf Fredrik consumed a number of “semlor” (some sources say 14) in the “hetvägg” fashion (meaning they were served in a bowl filled with warm milk). Whether or not the “semlor” had any almond paste filling is unclear, but it seems they were not served with the whipped cream, the way they are today. Before eating the “semlor”, the king had also consumed sauerkraut, meat, lobster, caviar, smoked Baltic herring, and champagne. The menu has been described by the king’s contemporary Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna, whose opinion it was that the death that followed this hefty meal was due to indigestion. Adolf Fredrik is today remembered as the king who “ate himself to death”.

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"Semla" — the Swedish dessert known for killing King Adolf Fredrik.

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