Swedish coffee break11/6/2022 ![]() ![]() ![]() In the same time it takes you to sit down and enjoy a coffee in your favourite coffee shop, you can make progress with your Swedish. You'll also build your cultural knowledge with the help of our cultural correspondent Emma who shares information on Swedish culture in many of the lessons. As a learner Mark asks questions, and makes mistakes, so through Hanna's explanations, corrections and pronunciation tips you'll build your confidence and begin to understand and speak the language. #SWEDISH COFFEE BREAK SERIES#Each lesson is like going for a coffee (or a fika!) with your friend who happens to speak Swedish and is helping you learn in a relaxed, enjoyable way.Ĭoffee Break Swedish is not a simple series of "listen and repeat" audio programmes: in each lesson Hanna explains how the language works, helping Mark - and you - to manipulate the language and use it in practical situations. You can find some gorgeous Scandinavian recipes here, though.Learn Swedish with teacher Hanna and her student Mark. ![]() Are there specific foods that make up fika?įika has its own traditions, especially in Sweden where it started. It’s about connecting with people and yourself. ![]() It’s hard not to draw the comparison with hygge in Denmark: another cosy concept.įriendship is a key part of it but fika can take place with your family, colleagues, strangers or on your own. It’s genuinely to treat yourself to something cosy, something in moderation, something that your body deserves. The cinnamon and cake element doesn’t try to squash down the bad feelings. It doesn’t have to include coffee (although it often does.) The big difference between fika in Sweden and coffee breaks in, say, America is the intent behind the whole thing.Ī rushed coffee break tries to “trick” the body into carrying on and working harder.įika is about genuinely slowing down, getting back in touch with your body and the people around you, and recharging on a deeper level. Recommended reading: 27 Ways Food and Travel Go Together (Not just for “Foodies”) So is fika just a coffee break? (According to Google translate at least…) Tack så mycket Sverige – Jag ser fram emot att få veta mer. In Ystad, my first fika involved custard-based Princess Cake and a cup of hot Sweet Love. Pronounced fee-ka, the best explanation I’ve heard so far is that fika is a kind of “afternoon tea” half-remembered with a touch of romantic indulgence from England in the 1950s.Īpparently fika can be both a noun (let’s have some fika) and a verb (let’s fika now…) but like those other delicious letters in the Swedish alphabet (an ö, an å and an ä for example) sometimes a hint of mystery can still be a good thing.įika often involves tea or coffee, with a cinnamon flavoured cake thrown in to melt away the cold outside. What is fika? A rare treat that shouldn’t be rare. Related: 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Sweden Fika can be defined as a coffee break, a social ritual, a concept, or a state of mind, depending on who you speak to, but it is inherently social and generally associated with a good cup of coffee. My second best guess was that fika involved some kind of furniture shop with utensils made from see-though lime green plastic.įika, as it turned out, is something of a social institution in Sweden. A huge part of this is down to Sweden’s unique coffee culture, which among other things, includes a tradition known as fika. The word fika, I decided, had all the hallmarks of a potent local spirit, the sort that could stand in for paint stripper on an identity parade and would give you a headache as soon as look at you. It was not yet four in the afternoon and I began to brace myself. ![]()
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