Fika Time

Very few people (with the possible exception of Seattleites) drink coffee with as much enthusiasm as the Scandinavians. In America, the practice of workers taking formal “coffee breaks” throughout their shifts is said to have originated in the late 1800s in Stoughton, Wisconsin, when the wives of Norwegian immigrants consented to work in the city’s tobacco warehouses only if they were allowed to take breaks throughout the day to meet with their friends and families for coffee and a snack.

In Sweden, it’s still the custom to invite friends and colleagues to fika, “go for coffee,” every two hours or so during the work day. Good company and conversation is essential, helped along by the enjoyment of savoring delicious baked goods such as cinnamon rolls (kanelbullar), chocolate sticky cake (kladdkaka), rusks, and sweet yeasted breads (vetebröd).

One taste of these cakes and sweet breads, and you, too, will take time to stop and smell the coffee!

Coffee image ©2009 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.