I can't remember when I first learned about "fika", but I immediately associated it with the British concept of "teatime" or afternoon tea--it's a similar concept but not the same, of course.
From what I understand, the Swedish custom of "fika" entails having a cup of coffee, usually accompanied with a sweet bun, a slice of cake, some pastries or cookies. (Side note: Sweden apparently is one of the largest consumers of coffee in the world!)
You're not restricted to coffee however; it's still called fika if you have your bun with a cup of tea, hot chocolate, milk, soft drink, or cordial (which Swedes take to calling lemonade for some reason, even if it's not lemon-flavoured).
Some popular buns loved by most Swedes are lussekatt/lussebulle or saffron buns, kanelbulle (with cinnamon) and kardemumma bulle (with cardamom). Other favourites are the Prinsesstårta (a sponge cake filled with custard cream and covered in green/pink marzipan), kladdkaka (chocolate mudcake) and my favourite, the Daim mandeltårta (almond cake covered with Daim chocolate).
"Fika" can just mean taking a break from work or other activities to have coffee, or it can even mean going on a date! It has many uses. ;) You can learn more about it from this entry on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fika). I just wanted to write a short story on this because I think that fika is such a cosy concept, and I really like it. :)
Come to think of it, Malaysia has a similar concept--some popular drinks had during tea/coffee break or "yumcha" (Cantonese for "drink tea") are "teh tarik" (hot, foamy tea), "kopi-O" (local black coffee), "cham" (a mixture of coffee, tea and milk) and "teh-O-limau ais" (iced lime tea). Snacks that go with the drinks can include toast with butter and "kaya" (coconut jam), "roti canai" (fried Indian flatbread), "nasi lemak" (rice flavoured with coconut milk, served with sambal and other condiments), "kueh" (Malaysian-style cakes), "goreng pisang" (banana fritters), soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and pepper, and many many more. All the food and drink mentioned in this paragraph are from a mixture of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisines.
Hope you enjoyed reading this! Please feel free to share your views, and make additions or corrections! :)
