Fika, what makes Swedes different.

Text and photos:Ngoc Quyen(from Northern Europe)

If we had to name a fascinating lifestyle that sets Sweden apart from its Scandinavian neighbors, it would be fika! Fika is related to the Swedish lagom lifestyle. Lagom is an adjective meaning moderation, not too much and not too little. It's difficult to fully convey the meaning of lagom in any other language.

Swedes use lagom as a national guiding principle, shaping their lifestyle, behavior, communication, and even cuisine. They aren't as reserved as their Finnish neighbors. Their lifestyle isn't as fast-paced as that of Norway right next door. And of course, they aren't as passive as their southern neighbor Denmark, famously known as the "Italy of the North." Because of this distinctly lagom lifestyle, Sweden is the only country in Northern Europe with its own unique coffee-drinking style – fika.

The myriad of fika

For Swedes, "fika" is not simply about enjoying coffee; it encompasses an art of social interaction and the enjoyment of life in this tranquil kingdom. It's quite different from how Americans enjoy convenient takeaway coffee, and it's not as formal as the tea ceremony in Japan. You can't call a Starbucks takeaway coffee you hastily enjoy while strolling down the street "fika." And of course, the industrial lifestyle of Westerners doesn't allow for the leisurely time to meditate over a steaming cup of tea, regardless of the passing breeze. Interestingly, the descendants of the Vikings have managed to combine both of these elements into a single, simple word: "fika." In this respect, Swedes seem to share a similar approach with the Vietnamese!

In Sweden, you'll hear, see, and feel the fika atmosphere everywhere. From luxurious cafes nestled within expensive hotels in the city center to hidden cafes tucked away in narrow streets, like alleyways in Vietnam, known only to locals; from warm sunny summer days to gloomy, snowy winter afternoons, even from home to the office... fika is everywhere.

In Sweden, you'll be able to hear, see, and feel the fika atmosphere everywhere. From luxurious cafes nestled within expensive hotels in the city center to hidden cafes tucked away in narrow streets, like alleyways in Vietnam, known only to locals.

If you're invited to a Swedish friend's house, you're sure to enjoy a fika (a type of Japanese ice cream) at home along with delicious pastries baked by the host themselves. In Swedish companies, short breaks during work hours are also ideal times to have a fika with colleagues to strengthen workplace relationships, which are often quite loose in this country known for its individualism. Even a shy guy can use the excuse of "let's go fika" to ask out a girl he's secretly admired but hasn't dared to confess his feelings to. Swedes have a plethora of reasons to have a fika like that.

Fika also has a history!

Tracing back through history, coffee was introduced to this Nordic country in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the 18th century that it became a signature drink for the nobility and wealthy elite of the time. Unfortunately, King Gustav III did not enjoy this delicious beverage at all; on the contrary, he enacted many harsh laws against coffee consumption, including heavy taxes, fines for anyone daring to drink coffee, and even conducting searches throughout the kingdom to confiscate people's coffee-making equipment!

However, perhaps all coffee lovers already know that once you're familiar with coffee, it's hard to give up its allure. Just a whiff of coffee aroma in the air is enough to make you feel every tiny blood vessel in your body surging with caffeine. There's nothing better than stepping into a small pastry shop (konditori) in the heart of the city, ordering a hot cup of black coffee, and holding the cup to feel the warmth spread like holding a lover's hand.

Today, throughout Sweden, fika has become an indispensable part of daily life. Besides coffee, the pastries served with fika are equally delightful. They are all collectively called fikabröd, meaning "breads to eat with fika." However, the most popular pastry is the kanelbullar cinnamon roll. The kanelbullar is so famous that Swedes dedicate October 4th each year as "National Cinnamon Roll Day"! Furthermore, around the Santa Lucia Festival of Lights (which takes place in mid-December), the cinnamon roll is replaced with the golden, fragrant lussebullar artisan raisin cake, infused with saffron and roasted raisins. And this coming April, as Europe and Sweden prepare for Lent before Easter, the icing-covered puff pastry semlor is becoming the most popular choice.

A friend of mine, a girl originally from Hanoi, who in Vietnam was only used to drinking Thai Nguyen tea, has unknowingly become a fika enthusiast after living in Sweden for over six months. Even Swedes who have been familiar with fika since childhood, when talking about the fun of outdoor fika on a clear, cloudless summer day, their eyes light up with the same childlike joy as if they've been given candy. That joy can instantly spread to the surrounding space with a simple invitation: "Come on, let's have some fika!"

Additional information:

+ Round-trip airfare from Vietnam to Sweden ranges from 18-21 million VND. If you plan to travel to Sweden and other Nordic countries, you should book your tickets early, as prices will skyrocket during the summer.

To travel to Sweden, you are required to transit through a third country. You can choose a flight route that involves a layover in Denmark or Finland, then continue on to Stockholm or Gothenburg, Sweden's two largest cities. Alternatively, if you buy tickets from budget airlines like Turkish Airlines, you will have to transit twice.

- The Swedish currency is the krona. 1 krona is equivalent to approximately 3,500 Vietnamese dong. A cappuccino costs between 30 and 80 krona, depending on the level of sophistication of the bakery you visit.

- Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city (after Stockholm), is also considered the capital of fika culture. If you have the chance to visit, don't forget to stop by Cafe Husaren, located at 28 Haga Nygatan, to enjoy a giant waffle for 50 krona each.

- When you enter the cafe, be sure to familiarize yourself with the characteristic Swedish greeting, "hej hej." Just sit in the cafe for about 5 minutes, and you'll hear plenty of these cute greetings from both customers and staff. When you receive your coffee, don't forget to say thank you in Swedish: "takk takk." Swedes are delighted to see that you can speak their language!

The Thanh