fika- The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break Book Review
Oh fika, you are such a wonderful little book. I was really excited to read this (I'm always excited in general about reading new books but I have a certain un-healthy love for this little Swedish shop called IKEA). This book is made up of 1/3 history, 1/3 cultural and 1/3 recipe book that encompasses the Swedish Coffee Break or 'fika'. On top of my love for IKEA which has nothing to do with this book, the American Swedish Historical Museum which is the oldest Swedish museum in America is located at my hometown of Philadelphia.
Fika is filled with wonderful illustrations and recipes, but beyond that the first two chapters are really a crash course on the history of coffee/fika in Sweden.
"To have real fika means using the classic recipes that everyone knows (what the swedes call klassiker), either those from one of the swedish cooking bibles... or those passed down from generations to the next." (pg 2)
Furthermore, the authors discuss why fika is so special in the Swedish culture. "Do you want to hang out and have coffee?" is not the same as asking someone "ska vi fika?" or "Should we fika?" Fika is not just about drinking coffee and eating delicious homemade pastries, it's about appreciating tradition and culture that's been passed down for generations.
One of my favorite sections is titled Stocking the Fika Pantry for most, if not all of the recipes in the book there's only 8 basic ingredients that you need to have in your pantry: flour. sugar, butter, eggs, spices (the basics are cardamom and cinnamon), nuts, dried fruits and chocolate. That's all. Eight basic ingredients that I certainly have in my pantry to start baking delicious, homemade Swedish treats.
One of my favorite sections is titled Stocking the Fika Pantry for most, if not all of the recipes in the book there's only 8 basic ingredients that you need to have in your pantry: flour. sugar, butter, eggs, spices (the basics are cardamom and cinnamon), nuts, dried fruits and chocolate. That's all. Eight basic ingredients that I certainly have in my pantry to start baking delicious, homemade Swedish treats.
Since I've been travelling and haven't had the chance to actually try one of these recipes I will share you with you some of my "must try" recipes- syltgrottor (Jam thumbprint cookie), hasselnotskaka med kaffee (Hazelnut coffee cake), kokostoppar (coconut peaks or coconut macaroon), chockladbollar (chocolate balls) and pannkakor (swedish pancakes).
Well what are you waiting for? ska vi fika? As always, thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Until next time,
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