In Sweden, fika [feee-ka] is a cultural staple. The act of having fika involves coffee and a little (or sometimes quite big) something sweet. It is perhaps because of the strong coffee culture in this country that they have managed to keep the big coffee chains off the streets. Not once while I was in Stockholm did I see a Starbucks. Instead, the streets are littered with independent, unique little spots - all with a different feeling and flavour - but most importantly, all bustling with Swedish fikarers.*
*absolutely not a real word
While I thoroughly embraced the coffee aspect of fika, I can only deal with so much sweet in my life, so aside from breakfast buns, I often skipped the on the sweet sides. That doesn't mean that I didn't see many incredible looking deserts - most memorably at Robert's Coffee, inside an indoor market, which was a beautiful spot for a pit-stop. The cortado they served me was the most intense (and delicious) cup of joe I've ever had.
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