Kräftskivor – The Swedish Crayfish Party Posted by Marcus Cederström on Aug 24, 2011 in Culture
It’s August. You knew that though. What you might not have known though is that August is also the month for crayfish parties throughout Sweden (and really wherever I find myself in the US).
Crayfish are essentially tiny little lobsters. A form of shellfish that is common in Cajun culture. In Swedish culture though, the crayfish is cooked quite differently. And by differently I mean boiled in salt water with dill. And that’s it. They are delicious.
Eating a crayfish is a messy affair. You’ll want to start by letting the crayfish cool. Obviously. Obviously because when you pick up your first crayfish you need to unfold the thing and suck out all of the juices. No one likes sucking boiling crayfish juice into their mouths. Once you’ve sucked the dill and crayfish juice out, it’s time to pop the tail off and eat the meat. There’s not a lot in there, but it’s worth it. Some people, and by some people I mean my very Swedish father, eat all the disgusting crayfish excrement within which includes everything from eggs to I-don’t-want-to-know-what. Once the tail has been dissected, it’s time to crack open the claws. Which are even smaller than the tails. There is even less meat here, but it adds to the whole experience of eating crayfish.
Along with the crayfish, you’ll probably want to serve potatoes, preferably färskpotatis which are known as new potatoes in English. You’ll also need some knäckebröd, some cheese, some salad, and of course – cheese pie. Specifically Västerbottenpaj.
Of course, no Swedish tradition is complete without alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. Namely snaps – akvavit. Shots of akvavit generally go hand in hand with the crayfish. And over the course of the evening, those shots are accompanied by plenty of drinking songs.
Below you’ll find a YouTube clip with lyrics. And of course, you can find the lyrics to Helan Går here on Transparent’s blog as well.
All this tends to be done outdoors. Or at least is attempted outdoors. The weather is notoriously fickle in August in Sweden. Along with the food, snaps, and singing, people tend to wear bibs (remember that sucking? It gets messy), and ridiculous looking conical party hats. If you can work in a crayfish motif as often as possible, all the better.
Crayfish parties are traditionally held in August due to laws that limited crayfish fishing to the late summer months. Like August. Of course, now you can find frozen crayfish on sale just about all year round coming from China and Turkey, but that doesn’t stop the Swedes from doing the majority of their crayfish consumption in August. Traditions die hard.
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About the Author: Marcus Cederström
Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.
Comments:
Marianne:
We just had a party last Saturday & I eat them the SAME way you do! hahah My mom’s swedish & Dad’s Danish. I was born in USA. :o)
Judy:
Hi! Hope you all are enjoying Kräftskivor this August. Are you celebrating them now even though school has already started? Last year here in New York City, I had the pleasure of teaching my third grade classes all about crayfish. We had about 12 real crayfish in our science lab. The kids loved them! So, now that I know quite a bit about these critters, I must say, I don’t think I’ll be eating them again for a while! First of all, they eat everything–and I mean EVERYTHING! We lost one within the first couple of weeks in my science lab. He passed away over a three-day holiday weekend. When I returned on Monday, nothing was left of him except the shell of his tail and one of his pincers! These guys are little cannibals! The kids couldn’t understand how they could eat their friend! I explained it as best I could to ease their sweet little minds. It was probably my fault for leaving them alone too long without feeding them their cat food pellets.
The second problem with these animals was that they are extremely horny! The kids witnessed them coupling on many occasions. At first some of my little ones thought they were hugging. Our American kids often don’t know about sex yet at 9 or 10 years old. Or, they don’t know about it for the purpose of reproduction. So, I had to provide that lesson as well. I was definitely not prepared for all of their questions! This was all new to me, too.
At the end of our crayfish unit, I gave away the 10 we had left. The kids were all so excited. They named each one and learned how to pick them up and take care of them. They make good pets. They are relatively inexpensive from pet stores and easy to care for. Just don’t put them in a tank with other fish. They tend to attack and eat them! It was a great experience for them and for me!
Linda Bliss:
Eating cray fish is an art form that takes years to perfect 🙂
Marcus Cederström:
it does take a while to get the hang of it, hope everyone enjoys their crayfish this coming season
Laurel Paulson-Pierce:
One year for my VASA Lodge Crayfish Party I went Cray- fishing in the local rice fields (they drain them in preparation for the harvest in the fall) and got hundreds of these little critters. I kept them in a kiddie wading pool until time for the party. They are nocturnal, and make little clicking and slurping noises all night long……but soon we were making slurping noises of our own!