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what does fika mean?

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. Swedes are among the heaviest consumers of coffee in the world and this practice of taking a break for a coffee, typically with a cinnamon roll and/or some biscuits or cookies, or sometimes a smörgås on the side, is central to Swedish life.

 

Although the word may in itself imply "taking a break from work", this is often emphasied using the word fikapaus ("fika pause") or fikarast ("fika break"), with kaffepaus and kafferast, respectively, as near synonyms. The shorter word fika may equally well mean having coffee with a friend at a café or konditori (a "patisserie-based coffeehouse")

 

There is also a Swedish record in fika where as many people as possible are gathered to fika. Kalmar were first to break a Swedish fika record. On June 6, 2007, 2620 people sat down together for a fika. source: http://en.wikipedia.org

"Det är aldrig försent att
unna sig en lång fika"

                                                             - Swedish proverb

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