Get Your Fik On: Curating an Imaginary Monday Afternoon Swedish Fika

 Clearly, I have a continuing fixation on the issue of setting tables then furnishing them with delicious things, given last week's post on tablescapes and even my Valentine's list of French pastries that I would like to sample. Today's installment of me fantasizing about the ideal table spread brings us to Scandinavia, specifically Sweden, to celebrate fika. Perhaps 'celebrate' is the wrong word- after all, it is a very standard element of most Swedes' daily lives, with a translation that butchers the original meaning into something like 'coffee break.' 

However, unlike our big city American coffee breaks, fika is, actually, kind of a celebration. Not so much a party, but an intentionally reserved chunk of the day during which people can socialize and indulge in coffee and pastries at a leisurely pace. Basically, an antithesis to the coffee to-go, mixed with a Scandic interpretation of afternoon tea. And, if we know anything about Scandinavians, it's that they know how to get cozy. 

So, today, I will be filling in the figurative fika coloring book with the warm beverages, pastry recipes, and ~ambiance~ tools of choice in order to curate my own fantasy fika spread.

Add this to the dream fika mood board, please and thanks.

My favorite thing about fika is that it isn't about the particulars of the cuisine as much as it is about socializing. In her article on the traditional pastries of fika, Clarissa Wei explains that typical fika in Sweden "is much more toned down, with unlimited refills and dark-roasted coffee served in mismatched, porcelain cups." Even better, Wei quotes Johanna Kindvall and Anna Brones, who quite literally wrote the book on fika, who explain that fika's "deliberate pause" is its most important feature. 

So, not only is fika an ideal opportunity to slow down and chat with friends, it is basically a culinary blank slate, at least in the sense that I won't completely ruin it by putting a fun spin on some of the recipes. In the words of Anna Brones herself, there are no fika police. 

From what I understand, coffee and pastries are the two essential components of the fika. John Duxbury at swedishfood.com (Swedelicious recipes!) was kind enough to provide a little more guidance in this department, particularly that "whatever food you choose for fika it should be fresh and well presented" and ideally homemade. I think we can handle that, dear reader, especially since this is imaginary so we won't have to do any dishes. Let's begin!

Coffee

Let's start with our dryck of choice, the king of caffeine, the mood-fluctuating heart-palpitating love in a mug himself: coffee. As we begin transitioning towards spring weather, the prospect of cold brew is not far off. However, I'm in New York, and it's chilly all the time, so we're going to keep things hot in this department.

Hand-built coffee mugs by Lolita Olympia

The casual fika host can get by with a pot of black coffee, as long as there's enough for everyone, but we're all about keeping things fun here at Pretend Vacation. So, for fika at my house, I will be serving a pourover brewed with these beans from Drop Coffee. Deliciously, the blend has notes of citrus and elderflower, giving us a springtime flourish while still grounding us in a Scandinavian palette. Don't believe me? Turns out, our friend John Duxbury had some things to say about elderflower, too.

For the quasi-adults among us (hello), I will be providing cream and a dish of brown sugar to modify your coffee as necessary. 

image source

Cakes

Now, on to arguable the star of the show- sweet treats. Some fikas can include savory offerings as well, but, let's be real. Cakes are always preferred. Keeping things simple, I'll be serving a select few pastries, starting with the traditional (and delicious) cardamom bun. Imagine a cinnamon bun, but twistier, and brightened with delicious cardamom along with the usual cinnamon. Here is a recipe, if you want to bring these babies into real life.

Along with cardamom buns, guests will enjoy vanilla hearts, or vaniljhjärtan, shortbread cookies with a custard center and, obviously, shaped like little hearts. Adorable, homey, festive, affectionate- exactly the way I want all my caffeine-oriented afternoons to be.

Finally, the trio of pastries will be rounded out by yet another tribute to the elderflower, in the form of these delightfully tiny elderflower sponge cakes from Delicious Magazine.

Mini elderflower sponge cakes

Accessories

In this dream fika, ceramic mugs and dessert plates will be specially commissioned from Lolita Olympia, whose work I am ~obsessed~ with.

The table will be dressed in this vintage batik tablecloth, along with these raffia placemats and sugar served in one of these purple mini bowls. Obviously, candles are essential, so we will be sourcing exclusively from Brooklyn-based maker Yui Kobayashi.

Candles by YuiBrooklyn

As we conclude this afternoon's fika fantasy, I encourage us all to find the comfort and restfulness this kind of tradition represents in creative ways, in little and big ways, throughout the week. Find a sweet treat, do some baking, sit with a warm mug of something staring out the window. Most importantly, catch up with your friends. Play games, watch movies, chat on the phone. We all miss each other! Keep things cozy and sweet, even if you have to do it from a distance.

- Helen