Crayfish party - a fun Swedish summer tradition
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog about Swedish culture. I have been taking a break from posting over the summer while taking vacation and enjoying the warm season. I spent part of my vacation visiting family in Sweden and enjoyed the beauty of my native country. The trip included visits to both my hometown of Kalmar, the beautiful Öland, Österlen in Skåne and the capital city of Stockholm where I lived and studied for many years. It was great to be back there, and as usual it is fascinating to compare and contrast the culture and lifestyles in Sweden and the United States.
This time of year many Swedes are back to work after their summer vacations, and children are going back to school. But that does not mean a lack of things to look forward to: in early August every year Swedes hold their annual Kräftskiva, or Crayfish party. This is a very popular event that includes funny hats, characteristic decoration, strong drinks and plenty of crayfish. The crayfish is boiled in salted water with dill, and eaten by hand. Since there is very little actual meat on each crayfish, significantly more time is spent opening them rather than actually eating!
The origin of the Kräftskiva is a little uncertain, but we know that Crayfish has been eaten in Sweden since at least the 16th century. It was likely not considered a delicacy back then, as they were readily available on rivers and lakes particularly in the central region of the country. As people started moving into the cities they no longer had the same easy access to local rivers and lakes and crayfish became less available. That fact, combined with praise from food writers, authors and artists led to the rise in popularity of crayfish and its eventual status as a delicacy. An example of how artists would promote the food can be found in the paintings of famed Swedish artist Carl Larsson, which includes beautiful depictions of crayfish.
Towards the end of the 19th century it became popular to boil crayfish in dill, preferably “crown dill” which is picked after the plant has flowered. It was also around this time that the tradition of having a crayfish party in early August was established. The authorities of the time had decided to institute a trapping season for crayfish to avoid overfishing, which premiered in late summer. The crayfish party was born! This restriction on trapping has since disappeared, but the tradition remains. Nowadays Swedish crayfish is in short supply, but other varieties are imported from primarily China and Louisiana.
So how do you prepare to partake in a real Swedish crayfish party? Well, there are a few things to know. If you are helping out with the decorations there are certain types of table runners and napkins you should get, with prints of crawfish and plenty of red and yellow color. You should also hang lanterns and other party-themed decorations. If you are in the US you can find some of this at your local IKEA, or make your own decorations with inspiration from Pinterest etc. The guest will be wearing paper hats and bibs, so make sure to get those as well. And with that, all you need is the actual food, drink and of course the song booklet with the snapsvisor.
The food centerpiece is obviously a large tray of crayfish. To go with that is bread, cheese pie, fish roe, sour cream, and red onion. The most commonly served drinks are beer and, most importantly, brännvin (herb-infused vodka). During the dinner you sing snapsvisor, traditional (and non-traditional) drinking songs of all kinds. The singing is certainly a fun part of the dinner, but try to pace yourself: a full shot of vodka after each song might be ill-advised, particularly if you are trying to keep up with native Swedes. But that’s it. Enjoy the food, drinks and singing, and the company of old and maybe new friends!
I hope you had fun learning about another aspect of Swedish culture and traditions. If you want to learn Swedish you can sign up for a free lesson or consultation with me using the button below. I will help you improve quickly no matter your current level, and I can also teach you about Swedish culture, societal norms and much more!
