You don't have to spend much time in Sweden to come across a fika, whether that’s at work, with a new friend or even as a first date.
While it may feel like it’s just another word for coffee and cake, fika is one of the best ways to learn about Swedish culture, no matter if you’re just in town for a long weekend or you’re planning to stay in Sweden for life.
Not only is a fika a great way to relax over a cup of coffee, it’s also a bit of a Swedish institution. Every small town in Sweden will have some form of bakery, selling at the absolute minimum cinnamon buns, chocolate balls, a few types of biscuit and some type of cream cake. It’s a low-stakes way of eating out, practising your Swedish and meeting people, and there’s something for everyone.
You might have heard of Cinnamon Bun Day in October, or Semla Day on Shrove Tuesday. What you maybe didn’t know, though, is that Sweden has a whole range of official and unofficial fika days, celebrating everything from the humble chokladboll to the regal prinsesstårta – and that’s where our new Fika Calender member newsletter comes in.
Aside from helping you keep track of these days with a newsletter straight to your inbox every time one of them rolls around (feel free to eat along with the newsletter, although it’s not strictly a requirement) our new Fika Calendar will also look into the history of each cake or pastry.
Which cake’s official day was determined by a funny aspect of the Småland accent? Which cake is so rich it killed off a Swedish king, and does a Napoleonbakelse actually have anything to do with Napoleon Bonaparte? This newsletter will answer those questions and more.
We hope that it will teach you something about those buns, cakes or biscuits you’ve always seen in the bakery window but have never tried, and maybe also teach you something about Sweden by eating your way through Swedish history.
Feel free to get in touch with us throughout the year. Let us know which cake you like the most so far, or if you’ve found a new favourite order at your local bakery.
Sign up here to receive an email alert every time we publish a new instalment of the Fika Calendar on the site – and if you're a Membership+ subscriber you will receive the full article straight to your inbox. You can expect to receive the newsletter on every important Swedish fika day worth trying, on average two times a month.
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