Fika: The Swedish Coffee Break and Its Traditions

Anyone who works, studies or visits friends in Sweden learns one word very quickly: fika. It means a shared break over coffee and something sweet. But fika is more than a drink. It is a firm habit in which you set work aside and take time for each other.

What does fika mean?

The word is both a noun and a verb. You can have a fika or simply fika. It probably arose in the 19th century as a syllable swap of kaffi, an old form of the word for coffee. Most people drink filter coffee, but tea, juice or hot chocolate count too. What matters is not the drink but the break in good company.

The fact that the tradition is so alive also has to do with a love of coffee. Swedes have long been among the people with the highest per-capita coffee consumption in the world.

Fika at work

Many Swedish workplaces have two fixed fika times, often around ten in the morning and around three in the afternoon. Colleagues from every department meet in the break room, often including the managers. The mood is relaxed, hierarchies are flat, and many a problem gets solved here faster than in a meeting. If you are new at a company, don’t skip fika. It is the easiest way to get to know your colleagues. Read more about working life in our article on finding a job in Sweden.

What do you eat at fika?

Coffee comes with fikabröd, meaning baked goods. The best-known classics are:

• Kanelbulle: the cinnamon bun, with cardamom in the dough and pearl sugar on top.
• Kardemummabulle: the variant with a cardamom filling.
• Chokladboll: an unbaked ball of oats, cocoa, butter and sugar, rolled in desiccated coconut.
• Prinsesstårta: a cake of sponge, vanilla custard and whipped cream under a green marzipan cover.
• Kladdkaka: a flat chocolate cake that is soft and gooey inside.

An old rule says that a good hostess should offer seven different kinds of biscuits. This custom gave rise to the baking book Sju sorters kakor (Seven Kinds of Cookies), which has been published since 1945 and can be found in a great many Swedish kitchens.

Seasonal treats

Some treats are only available at certain times of year:

• Semla: a yeast bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream, traditionally eaten in the weeks leading up to Shrove Tuesday (Fettisdagen).
• Lussekatter: yellow S-shaped saffron buns for the Lucia celebration on 13 December.
• Kanelbullens dag: on 4 October the whole country celebrates Cinnamon Bun Day.

Fika as a guest: how to join in

If you are invited for fika, it is best to accept. Turning down an invitation can easily come across as unfriendly. Punctuality is appreciated, and when visiting someone’s home you take your shoes off at the door. A small gift is a nice touch but not a must.

In a café you usually order and pay at the counter. A handy custom is the påtår: many cafés offer a second cup of filter coffee free or for a small charge. Just ask.

A slice of the Swedish way of life

Fika goes well with another Swedish word: lagom – not too much and not too little, but just right. A quarter of an hour’s break, a coffee, a pastry and a chat. Try it a few times on your travels, and you may well take the habit home with you.