The World Cup 2018 in Russia is continuing and the next team Germany will have to face is the Swedish Blagult. Luckily for my Blog, it is another country that makes one of the most coffee consuming countries globally. In Fact, Sweden is only surpassed by Finland and the Netherlands in terms of quantity.
As Sweden is no Coffee Producing country due to its climate, they rely on importing Coffee since 1685. Since then, they have continuously developed a coffee culture that is very unique. In the 18th Century Stockholm was already crowded with more than 50 coffee places that took quite an important role in the Swedish society. In the Swedish Language there is a word that describes this impact: Fika. Literally, Fika means Coffee Break in English. But to the people it means much more. Fika is an essential part of daily life. Even more, it is the part of the day that makes it worthwile. Fika can have different forms. On one hand it can be a simple coffee break during work or an excessive chat with friends. But on the other hand it can be an informal meeting at work that is scheduled on a weekly basis. It is a social institution in Sweden and as such being protected by the people – they just expect you to join, no matter how busy you might be. Therefore, a main motto of Fika is Patar Ingar, which means as much as second helping. Drink as much as you want, there is no limit during Fika.
The most favoured coffee in Sweden is black and very dark with as little sourness as possible. Pure, drip coffee. In many Swedish households you will find a percolator. This, for us Germans quite old-fashioned, form of coffee brewing is quite beneficial for the Swedish drinking preferences. In a perculator the boiling water is being pressed towards a glass cover on top of the pot, and flows back into a can with the coffee powder. From there on, it can drip as coffee back into the can. This brewing method has two main advantages. It gives you the choice on how strong you want to have your coffee, and it makes brewing more effective, so you spend less coffee powder. Of course, due to the global influence, other brewing methods such as aeropress or the French press have made their path into Swedish Households.
After all, it is not the brewing method that makes you drink coffee like the Swedish, it is rather the attitude while enjoying coffee. Fika is about having a great time. Therefore, not only Coffee is part of Fika, but also the famous Swedish Sweets, such as Kanelbulle or Kladdkaka, and you should definitely not miss any of those !