Book Review- Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break

  One of my favorite ways to relax is by having coffee with a friend. Another of my favorite things is to sample food from far away places. This cookbook is perfect! So perfect that I already ordered a copy for a gift.

   Fika is the Swedish tradition of having coffee with something sweet to eat. It is about making coffee a break, not just adding it in as you run through life. I love everything about this concept. The book is full of information on Fika and it's place in Swedish culture. It is informative, yet cheerful and relaxing to read. The illustrations are charming and fit the simplistic style of the book.

  When I first saw the title, I figured it would have recipes for baked goods and coffee drinks. I was half right. It is full of baked goods ranging from traditional Swedish cookies and breads to more modern takes on the tradition. It even has a section for holiday treats and one that contains recipes that are substantial enough for lunch. There is not a single recipe for a stovetop latte, which is fine by me. It leaves more room for breads and cookies spiced with cardamon and toped with hazelnuts or pearl sugar. Yum!

   So far I have drooled over several recipes in this book and I've made two, pannkakor (Swedish Pancakes) and chokladbollar (chocolate balls). Both were delicious! I even invited a friend over for chokladbollar and coffee. It wasn't as relaxing as portrayed in the book because we had five children racing in circles around us, but it was fun!

  Several recipes in this book require ingredients that might not be in every American kitchen but they aren't so exotic that you can't find them. I was pleasantly surprised at how basic most of the ingredients are. I can see myself serving friends baked goods from this book for years to come.

  You can check it out on Amazon here or Goodreads here.

I received a copy of this book to review from Blogging for Books.