Swedish Fika culture introduced in Vietnam

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As you know, Italia is considered the world's famous coffee cradle with a unique coffee drinking style - standing around in a cafe and enjoying a cup of Espresso. And today, the Public Security Newspaper would like to introduce readers "Fika" - a Scandinavian coffee drinking style in Sweden.

Swedish Ambassador Pereric Högberg and his predecessor, Mrs. Camilla Mellander (now the Head of the Trade Promotion Bureau of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Swedish Ambassador Pereric Högberg and his predecessor, Mrs. Camilla Mellander (now the Head of the Trade Promotion Bureau of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) introduced young Vietnamese people to this special coffee drinking culture of the Swedish in an exchange program on February 28th afternoon, in Hanoi.

Mrs. Camilla shared that the Fika hours at Swedish offices are at about 10am and 3pm. This kind of coffee breaks with pastries will help people relax and promote their creativity. In addition, Fika is also an opportunity to socialize with friends.

Semla pastry

Ambassador Pereric added that: "February 28th this year coincides with the Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras in Swedish). On this day, the Swedish people and some other countries will party and eat delicious food to store energy before the Lent season.  And the presence of the traditional pastry called Semla - a familiar pastry of the Fika culture is an essential part.

The Semla is made of wheat flour, filled with almond paste, whipped cream and covered with a layer of powdered sugar. Semla cakes taste greasy and very soft.

According to a legend, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems in 1771 after consuming fourteen Semlas - the king's favorite dessert. Ambassador Pereric confessed that he is fond of Fika, and that he can eat several semlas in an ideal winter day of Hanoi.

In addition, Mr. Pereric and Mrs. Camilla hoped that the relationship between Vietnam and Sweden will continuously develop, not only in trade, but also via such "sweet treat" cultural features.