Get ready for the crayfish party!

By Malin Norman

August means that crayfish-party season is here, marking the end of summer. This is our insider’s guide to the classic Swedish feast. Make sure to stock up on colourful paper lanterns and funny party hats, plenty of side dishes in addition to the red gold, such as the delicious Västerbotten cheese quiche, and of course some snaps and drinking songs.

According to Nordiska Museet, Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history and stories about the life and people of the Nordic region, historically crayfish season began on 8 August. This relates to an old ban on crayfish catching between November and 7 August, due to the risk of over-fishing. Even though the ban was abolished in 1994 and no specific date is set nowadays, most Swedes start eating crayfish at the beginning of August still, continuing until the end of September.

Photo: Björn Tesch, imagebank.sweden.se

The annual seafood feast has been part of Swedish culture for hundreds of years; since the 16th century, that we know of, but possibly earlier still. Like many other festivities, it started among the upper classes and royals. Apparently, common people did not actually eat crayfish, as it was seen more as a food for emergencies and fasting. Swedish biologist and physician Carl Linnaeus even described crayfish as insects and not suitable for human consumption.

Photo: Anna Hållams, imagebank.sweden.se

Origins of the crayfish party

Crayfish was first mentioned in Swedish gastronomy in a letter from Erik XIV to the bailiff at Nyköpingshus, dated 1562. In the letter, the king orders that as many crayfish as possible be obtained for his sister Anna’s wedding. At that time, King Erik cultivated crayfish in the water-filled moats around Kalmar Castle.

People having a Swedish crayfish dinner on a small jetty in a lake at dusk.

In Olaus Magnus’ chronicle about the history of the Nordic people, published in Latin in the mid-16th century, he describes the availability of crayfish in moats and basins. It also reveals how foxes would catch crayfish with the help of their tail.

Crayfish was not eaten whole and cold, as nowadays, but rather in various minced meats and stews, and Kajsa Warg’s 18th century cookbook on housekeeping for young women includes recipes such as crayfish cake and crayfish sausage. When people eventually started eating crayfish whole, they were cooked and served steaming hot. Towards the end of the 19th century, crayfish were cooled in the broth and decorated with sprigs of dill.

Photo: Anna Hållams, imagebank.sweden.se

The word for crayfish party – kräftskiva – was first used at the beginning of the 20th century, according to Nordiska Museet. It probably originated in the bourgeois crayfish feasts, called crayfish supper, which involved crayfish and plenty of alcoholic drinks. By the 1930s, it was an established term.

Photo: Anna Hållams, imagebank.sweden.se

Swedish culture and self-image

The crayfish party is an important part of the country’s culture, and closely associated with the Swedish self-image, with some important elements and rituals. Despite the notion of Swedish minimalism, more is definitely more at a proper crayfish party.

Making the most of the last summer days, most crayfish parties take place outdoors. A long communal table tends to be decorated with Swedish flags, colourful paper lanterns – like the popular smiling full moon – and novelty party hats. Crayfish feasts make for messy eating, so many hosts use crayfish-themed paper tablecloths, napkins, bibs, and paper plates.

The red gold that the crayfish is renowned as, is boiled with salt, dill and sometimes beer, chilled and eaten fresh from the shell. You eat crayfish cold, with your fingers. And sucking noisily to extract the juices is perfectly acceptable behaviour.

Swedish supermarket ICA recommends around 0.5-1.0 kilo of crayfish per person – piled on large plates in the middle of the table. Common side dishes include the delicious Västerbotten cheese quiche, freshly baked bread, some form of salad, and of course a selection of snaps – and drinking songs, like the ever so popular Helan Går.

Photo: Mona Loose, imagebank.sweden.se

Västerbotten cheese quiche recipe

Ingredients (8 servings)

Quiche dough:

3 dl wheat flour
125 g butter
0.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp cold water

Filling:

3 eggs
2 dl cream
2 pinches coarsely ground black pepper
300 g grated Västerbotten cheese (you can replace the cheese with a cheese of your liking)

Roe sauce (optional):

1 red onion
100 g fish roe
2 dl crème fraîche or sour cream

Preparation:

Set the oven to 200°C.

Mix the flour, butter and salt into a crumbly mass. Add water and quickly work together into a dough.

Press the dough into a quiche dish. Prick with a fork and refrigerate for about 10 mins.

Pre-bake for about 10 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Add the cheese and pour the mixture into the quiche crust.

Bake in the middle of the oven until the egg yolk has set and has a nice colour, about 20 minutes.

Leave it to cool before serving.

Source: visitsweden.com

Tips for first-timers

Visit Sweden explains the ground rules to eating crayfish: Turn it belly up and suck the brine – slurping is almost mandatory; no need to be polite.

Next, wring off the tail and extract the most sought-after part of the crayfish meat using a crayfish knife.

Lift the back shield to reveal the delicious crayfish butter – a yellowish, butter-like paste found behind the head.

The claws are best cracked with a crayfish knife, and the succulent meat can be teased out with a designated, pronged tool – though you will manage fine with a fork or your bare hands.

Source: visitsweden.com