Fika

Fika is a Swedish verb that roughly means "to drink coffee", usually accompanied by something sweet on the side. [http://scandinavianfood.about.com/od/scandinavianfoodglossary/g/fikadefinition.htm]

"Fika" is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a coffee with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family. The word has quite ambiguous connotations and can mean anything from taking a break from work or other activities, to going on a date. This practice of taking a break for a coffee with some biscuits, cookies or similar snacks (or even a small meal sometimes) is central to Swedish life.fact|date=September 2008 Swedes are actually among the heaviest consumers of coffee in the world. [ [http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/results.php?years=all&variable_ID=294&theme=6&country_ID=all&country_classification_ID=all Resource Consumption: Coffee consumption per capita ] ] Although the word may in itself imply "taking a break from work", this is often emphasied using the word "fikapaus" ("fika pause"). The shorter word "fika" may equally well mean having coffee with a friend at a café or "konditori" (a "patisserie-based coffeehouse").

Since the word implies drinking coffee, just having a sandwich would not really be "fika". Drinking tea, however, is also common, and young people may have lemonade, a soft drink, or milk, instead of coffee.

The word is also combined in words such as "fikabröd" ("fika" bread") which is a collective name for all kinds of biscuits, cookies, buns, etc that are traditionally eaten with coffee. Non sweetened breads are normally not included in this term (even though these may sometimes be consumed with coffee). "Fika" is also used as a noun, referring to "fikabröd" and coffee combined. The word is an example of the back slang used in the 19th century, in which syllables of a word were reversed, deriving from "fika" from "kaffi", an earlier variant of the Swedish word "kaffe" ("coffee"). [Holm, Pelle (1939). Bevingade ord. ISBN 91-34-50877-5] From "fika" also comes the word "fik" (a colloquial term for "café") through a process of back-formation.fact|date=September 2008

In northern Sweden and some rural areas, "fika" may mean coffee without any treats: "Ta en kopp fika" ("Have a cup of coffee")Fact|date=August 2008.

References

Martin, Jane Roland (2000). Coming of Age in the Academy: Rekindling Women's Hopes and Reforming the Academy. New York Routledge -Discusses the Swedish Fika on page 163