IN SEASON
The Art of FIKA
It’s a well-known fact that Scandinavians love their coff ee. Residents of Nordic countries are said to drink more coff ee than anyone else in the world - that’s including the Italians - and they like nothing more than to meet up for a ‘Fika’. But what exactly is a fi ka, you ask? Elin Fry, the Swede-come-Bristolian owner of Fika coff ee house, explains all…
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TERM ‘FIKA’ TO THOSE WHO AREN’T SWEDISH? Fika is both a verb and a noun. T ere’s no direct translation in English, but translates to something like ‘taking a break for coff ee and something to eat; preferably something sweet’. You take time out to stop what you are doing and sit down at work or with friends for a fi ka. It's an invitation for a chat, a chance to relax and catch up with your family and friends.
Fika is an important part of Swedish culture and it's well established in the workplace, where fi ka breaks happen daily. T ese breaks, that happen away from the desk, are meetings with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere that can benefi t business productivity and contribute to a happy workplace.
38 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
WHAT KINDS OF SWEET TREATS DO YOU ENJOY WITH FIKA? Cinnamon rolls are a must have, but so are lots of diff erent types of biscuits. At my home bakery, I make cinnamon rolls with a cardamom infused dough and a cinnamon fi lling. Traditionally, when you throw a birthday party you should be serving seven types of biscuits. T e biscuits are all spiced diff erently and have diff erent shapes and textures. Some of the classic ones are: Bondkakor, which translates to farmer’s biscuit and is a crunchy almond and toff ee biscuit; Chokladkex, which is a chocolate snap with decorative sugar on top; and Drömmar, which translates to ‘dreams’ and is a vanilla biscuit that melts in your mouth.
HOW DO SWEDISH PEOPLE LIKE TO DRINK THEIR COFFEE? Swedes like their coff ee strong. Some use a bit of milk and sugar, but it’s common just to have it black.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR ENJOYING A 'FIKA'? As much as I love baking sweet treats to share over a fi ka; fi ka is more about stopping what you are doing and taking a break. It’s great when fi ka just happens, but it’s not always possible in our busy lives. So, decide on a time for fi ka and keep to it. You can fi ka anywhere! In a coff ee shop, at home, at work, in the park - it really
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