The Christmas spirit in Denmark was not the same this year as a serious threat to the baking industry hung over the country.
The kanelsnegler, or cinnamon roll, has been eyed by the European Union for possible extinction.
EU regulations aim to limit the amount of coumarin, a toxic chemical which occurs naturally and is present in the typical kind of cinnamon, cassia.
In “everyday fine baked goods”, cinnamon must be limited to 15mg per kilo, according to the Danish interpretation of the legislation. This could be the death knell for the kanelsnegler.
But the pastry is a popular winter treat in all the Scandinavian countries and the Danes might have been outsmarted by the Swedes.
In Sweden, the kanenbullar, has been classified as a traditional and seasonal dish. In these, the permitted cinnamon level is more than three times greater, at 50mg per kilo.
In Norway, where the pasties are called skillingsboller, the country's food agency issued Christmas advice warning that "heavy users of cinnamon should limit their intake".
The UK, where cinnamon is not as popular, has nevertheless taken a different approach - and who out there is surprised? Research has concluded that "the extent to which coumarin is bad for the health is debatable" bypassing the need for specific UK legislation to enforce the EU laws.
"Research has shown that the average dietary intake of the UK population does not exceed the safe limits," said CBI advice for cinnamon importers to Britain.
A 2010 study for the UK's Food Standards Agency found that the average dietary exposure to coumarin in Britain was 0.0018 mg per kilo of body weight, 55 times less that the EU "tolerable daily limit" of 0.1mg per kilo of body weight.
Even Britain’s South Asian population consume five times less than the EU limit, although this is 10 times more than any other part of the UK population.
