Fika - sweet Swedish coffee break

Three times a day, a cup of coffee, a snack, conversation and relaxation. Do you know what tradition this is? Fika - it's the Swedish concept of coffee comfort during the day.

Come and get a taste of Nordic culture.

The strongest coffee in the world and a cinnamon snail. That's Fika

Let's start with some statistics about coffee and Sweden. In this Nordic country coffee lovers their consumption for 2022 was over 8 kg of coffee for every Swede. With this record they are ranked 6th in the world in consumption of this beverage.

This Scandinavian country is famous for both the frequency of coffee drinking, an average of 3.2 cups a day, and the strength of coffee. According to Matthias Kamann, author of the book "How to be Swedish", the usual cup of Swedish coffee is somewhere between espresso and tar on the strength scale. However, a cup of coffee is never accompanied by a sweet pastry such as the typical cinnamon snails called "kanelbulle".

A delicious cappuccino and a cinnamon snail. This is Fika. Source: unsplash.com

Fika "coffeebreak" in Swedish styleThe longhistory of the Swedish coffee break begins in the 19th century.Back then, the name fika originated from "kaffi", the name for coffee at the time. Due to the influence of the so-called "back-street" slang, the first and second syllables were confused and one "ef" dropped out altogether, giving rise to today's fika.Home fika parties became an unmistakable part of everyday life, where housewives could show off their cooking skills to visitors. Thus a selection of desserts was served with coffee. The trend for sweet pastries was also reinforced by the wave of bakeries opened by immigrants from Switzerland.Fika moved from thehome to public spaces and workplacesin thenext era. It is not unusual for an employee to indulge in a few coffee breaks and small snacks during the day. If you think that a coffee break from work is holding you back, it's just the opposite. It turns out that regular breaks from work, plus a restorative cup of delicious coffee, boost productivity and creative thinking.

What do fika and lagom have in common?I'll add another Swedish word to fika - lagom. It's an idea, a way of life. Lagom is based on theconcept of Swedish minimalism and finding joy in what we already have. It is the art of balanced living.Balance is also to be sought in the management of one's own energy. That's why every day of a true Swede is interspersed with moments of peace with coffee and something sweet, preferably with friends or family. A cup of coffee (perhaps tea in the evening) is enjoyed as a moment of relaxation and coffeeis savoured to the last sip.

Treat yourself to a Swedish fika too!

You don't need much to make a fika. It's all about getting in the right frame of mind, and the smell of freshly ground coffee will probably do that for you . Swedes usually prefer drip coffee, but in the morning they enjoy their fika with a cappuccino.