It's often said that taking a cup of coffee by yourself at fika time is not considered fika at all. As early as elementary school, kids will have fika times scheduled between classes. This carries into workplace culture for adults, with many companies mandating or encouraging daily fika breaks. This tradition is seen as essential for team building, informal discussions, and maintaining work-life balance. Unlike quick American coffee breaks, Swedish fika can last 30 minutes to an hour, emphasizing conversation and relaxation over productivity.
For the food and drink served at fika, coffee in Sweden is serious business. Swedes are among the world's top coffee consumers, averaging about 3-4 cups daily. A cup is almost always accompanied by a sweet treat, and there are so many I'm obsessed with!
Here are a few of my favorites:
Kanelbullar (cinnamon bun) is the most commonly served fika pastry. It's a soft, swirly bread with warm cinnamon wrapped in the folds. Sometimes, bakeries get creative and add cardamom or saffron for extra flavor. Swedes love these so much, they even have a National Cinnamon Bun Day in October.
Prinsesstårta (princess cake) is a cake that looks too pretty to eat! It's covered with smooth, (usually green) marzipan with layers of vanilla cake, buttercream filling, and a sweet layer of raspberry jam inside. This dessert was originally called grön tårta (green cake), but was given the name prinsesstårta or "princess cake" because the Swedish princesses in the 20th century were said to have been especially fond of the cake.
