Burger King Is Offering A Dessert Burger For Lent (But You'll Have To Travel To Denmark)

For many who celebrate Lent — a 40-day Christian holiday in which people can choose to give up something they love — it can be difficult to find alternative dining options for those who are giving up meat.

Fortunately, there are many affordable food items that are released in time for the holiday. Fast food chains, such as Wendy's, have offered fish sandwiches around Lent to provide its customers with an option when burgers are out of reach. Of course, McDonald's Filet O-Fish — which was introduced as a meatless option for Catholics — is a famous fish sandwich that many can grab during Lent and any time of the year.

While Burger King does have a fish sandwich of its own, the fast food chain has released a unique burger specifically for Lent. The only problem is that you'll have to fly to Europe to try it. The dessert burger, based on a Nordic sweet treat, is seemingly only available in Denmark, Sweden, and other nearby countries, and consists of "a layer of marzipan cream, a brownie 'patty,' and a layer of whipped cream, all sandwiched between two halves of a pearl-sugar-topped cardamom bun," according to Brand Eating. It's available for a limited time only, so if you're longing to try one, you'll have to book that airplane ticket stat.

The Semla Burger has caused a storm on social media. Those who are lucky enough to live near a Burger King that offers the dessert burger shared their opinions on Twitter. Anchel Labena, who goes by @Anchel, tweeted about the burger with a photo of the menu and was met with mixed responses. Few commenters rebuked the creation, but many were intrigued. "I saw this advertised and have to admit, I'm morbidly curious," one person replied. When trying the burger, Labena gave it a positive review, noting that the semla burger was "nice" and the brownie was very soft. 

Others had blunter reactions, to put it simply; then again, they weren't necessarily terrible. Although the burger tastes like a semla — the traditional sweet that inspired it — according to a Twitter user under the handle @Bjurgard, they rated it "⅗ Swedish flags" calling the burger "Not bad, not good."

The Semla Burger is Burger King's spin on a classic Swedish dessert called semla. Semla, also known as a Mardi Gras bun, is a dessert bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream topped with cardamom. Semlor (plural for semla) had humble origins, however, as the name for a bun (or buns) simply soaked in hot milk.

Semlor are typically eaten on Shrove Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday) or Mardi Gras, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The dessert was eaten every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Now, semlor are enjoyed daily throughout Scandinavia and the world. In fact, an estimated six million semlor are sold on Fat Tuesday alone. Although you may not be able to try a Semla Burger outside of Europe, you can make yourself a semla in the comfort of your home — just be sure to add a brownie in the middle for an "authentic" Burger King experience.