The classic fika is a cup of coffee and a kanelbulle - a cinnamon bun. Swedish cinnamon buns are usually twisted into a knot or curl, topped with crunchy pearl sugar, and warm enough to smell from the next room. Children join in with a glass of milk or hot chocolate instead of coffee.
Fika usually happens twice a day at work - once mid-morning and once mid-afternoon. Office workers stop, leave their desks, and gather in the kitchen. At school, children have a similar break. Some Swedish workplaces have a rule that nobody is allowed to talk about work during fika - the whole point is to chat about anything else.
Fika is not about eating quickly. It is about slowing down on purpose. You sit. You stop typing. You put your phone away. You actually look at the people you are with. Many Swedes think this is one of the secrets of why their country is often voted one of the happiest in the world.
Other fika favourites: cardamom buns (kardemummabulle), little almond cookies, sponge cake with cream and berries, and on special days a sandwich cake called sm枚rg氓st氓rta - a giant savoury cake made out of bread, shrimp, eggs and creamy filling.