Solvang Sweet: Æbleskiver-Eating Contest

How many of these classic pastries can you devour in a row?

THAT LAST DELICIOUS DOUGH BALL: If you're eating a traditional serving of æbleskivers on your own, well, lucky you. They typically arrive with three to a plate, at least around the quaint cafés of Solvang, and a trio of æbleskivers takes a wonderfully long time to eat, if you slow down and refuse to gobble each delicious dough ball (this takes some practice). Plus? You have the jam to dole out, the gooey sweetness that sits on top of the treats or to the side, and that, too, needs a measured hand and patient mind. But if you're sharing an order of æbleskivers while visiting the Danish capital of America? Oh goodness: You and your pastry-loving pal will have to figure out how to divvy up that third one fairly, with each eater getting the exact same amount. Of course, all of this fussing is for naught when you and your friend and every other dessert devotee you know sign up for the...

ÆBLESKIVER-EATING CONTESTS... at the 2017 Danish Days festival. The just-before-fall celebration is very much about Solvang's heritage, and the small pastry balls are the festivity's foodie stars. The eating contest is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17, which'll send sweets mavens fork-to-fork in a sugary showdown. Of course, if you like to consume your confections at a slower pace, you can sign up for one of the weekend's æbleskiver breakfasts, which are different from the contests but no less delicious. Enjoying the classic treat is something visitors can do all year long in the Golden State's windmill-iest burg, but when Danish Days arrive, everyone has those little orbs of tummy-filling goodness on their mind. Whether your eat 'em fast, devour 'em slow, or split them with a friend, going halfsies on that third dough ball, Solvang's most famous foodstuff is a gotta-try-it must-have.

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