Sweden is a beautiful and cultural country. The customs that I followed during my month in Sweden really helped me understand the ways of the Swedish people.

One tradition that I participated in every day, was fika. Fika is essentially a coffee break that is a vital part of the Swedish culture, it can even be used as a verb in some situations. When I was taking a three-week language course, we would have class from 8:30 to 9:55 and from 9:55 to 10:10, we are given a break from class work to go enjoy fika. So, here are some delicious recipes for fika!

Kanelbulle is a Swedish version of a cinnamon bun and is the most popular food or pastry during fika. It is perfectly balanced, not too sugary from those that I have tasted, and is finished off with a sprinkle of sugar.

https://www.visitstockholm.com/guides/go-for-a-fika/

Recipe is thanks to: http://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2017/12/18/kanelbul...

Ingredients:

DOUGH:
1 cup milk, warmed
2 tsp active dry yeast
3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
pearl sugar or sliced almonds, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions
Put the milk into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let stand for 5 minutes, until it's foamy. Add 3 cups of the flour along with the butter, sugar, egg, cardamom, and vanilla. Stir until the dough comes together, and continue to knead, or mix with the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer, until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed (you'll likely need 3 1/2 cups). It should be tacky, but not sticky—add more flour if it's sticking to your hands. It will smooth out and become less tacky as it sits. Shape into a ball and place it back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and let stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, 1 1/2—2 hours.
Cut the dough into two pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out into a rectangle that's about 9x12 inches. In a small bowl, stir together the soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and spread half over each piece of rolled-out dough. Fold each piece up in equal thirds, as if you were folding a letter, and roll it again until it's roughly 8x14 inches.
Cut the dough lengthwise into strips about 2 cm wide. Twist each strip by holding each end and twisting in opposite directions, then holding one end, wrap it around two or three of your fingers (as if you were wrapping up an electrical cord), then tuck the end over, under and through the hole in the middle. (See video link above!)
Place each rolled bun on a parchment-lined sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar or sliced almonds, and let them sit while you preheat the oven to 350?F. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen kanelbullar.

Dammsugare, also known as Punschroll, is another type of pastry with the ends dipped in chocolate and the center is covered in green marzipan. It is quite different from anything I've ever tasted but they are perfect with a cup of coffee.

Recipe is thanks to: https://londoneats.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/dammsu...

To make dammsugare (makes around 10):

The filling:
250g cake crumbs (e.g. vanilla sponge)75g unsalted butter softened20g unsweetened cocoa powder

40ml punsch or rum

For the decoration:

300g marzipan

few drops of green food coloring

200g dark chocolate

To make the filling:

Put everything into a bowl and mix well until you have a soft dough. It will be a little sticky and slightly crumbly. Form into 10-12 rolls.
To decorate:
Add some food coloring to the marzipan and knead well until evenly colored.

Sprinkle a worktop with icing sugar, and roll the marzipan into a long strip 2-3mm thick (you might find this easier in two or three batches).
Use the marzipan to cover the portions of dough – get a good seal on the underside, and pinch the end closed.

Roll the marzipan-coated dough on the worktop to get a smooth finish.

Keep going until all the dough pieces are covered.

Next, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, and dip the ends of each dammsugare into the chocolate. If you want them to look professional with glossy chocolate, you can either temper the chocolate, or take the easy option – skip the tempering, and put the dipped dammsugare on a plate in the fridge to harden.

https://londoneats.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/dammsu...

Chokladbollar, chocolate balls covered in coconut, are yet another sugary delight that will be seen quite a lot during fika. They are very easy to make, as well, so if you're having your own fika, these are perfect for starting.

Recipe is thanks to: http://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-food-recipes-de...

100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter (1 tbsp short of half a cup)
1tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp strong coffee, hot
3 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of flaked sea salt
125 g (1½ cups) rolled oats
50 g (1¾ oz) desiccated coconut
Method
1. Mix together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until fully combined.
2. In a small bowl combine the coffee and cocoa powder and mix to form a thick paste. Allow cooling slightly then pour into the butter mixture and mix together until fully combined. Add the salt and oats and mix together until fully combined.
3. Take a spoonful of the mixture and roll between your hands to form a small ball. Roll in the coconut and set aside and repeat with the remaining mixture. Refrigerate until firm. Best served slightly chilled although perfectly good at room temperature too.

There is, of course, items that are for those who are not craving sugar during fika. Fruits are very popular during this time and there is also a variety of sandwiches. For the sandwiches, you could get open sandwiches (in which there is only breading on the bottom and has a tower of other food) or closed sandwiches, typically with a lot of filling. The filling of the sandwich mainly consists of lettuce, red cabbage, a form of meat or possibly smoked salmon, and other simple ingredients.

http://www.bakenquilt.com/2014/05/no-bake-swedish-...

https://mogohmogohmogoh.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/f...

Overall, not only was fika delicious, but it gave me an inside look into the way of the Swedish tradition.