Food & Culture: Kräftskiva

Hi lovelies! I am back with another Events and holidays post that has a little bit of culture touch to it. Since I moved to Sweden I've been celebrating this lovely crayfish tradition. This year I cooked and arranged a humble kräftskiva and gathered my friends who been with me in art school 5 years ago. It was such an amazing evening since we haven't met altogether since those days.

Apart from the crayfish, I made Appetizers: Caviar & shrimp Bites from the Swedish Cuisine and a gluten-free Chanterelle Mushroom Pie with ( Västerbottenost ). Accompanied by salad, boiled egg, cream fresh, red onion, dill, and lemon. Click on the names above for recipes and below are some photos of the atmosphere. I will share the gluten-free pie dough recipe soon ;-)

The Swedish crayfish party - the origins

Crayfish have been eaten in Sweden since the 1500s. For a long while, only the aristocracy enjoyed these delicacies, as popular suspicion of shellfish was widespread. Originally, crayfish meat was used for sausage, ragout, patties or puddings.

In the mid-1800s, people started eating crayfish as they were eaten today. The crayfish feast or crayfish soup in the month of August spread through the middle classes. In de 1900's werd crayfish een nationale delicatesse en mensen in alle sectoren van de samenleving begonnen viering van de gelegenheid. De prijs van crayfish viel als gevolg van de invoer uit Turkije en elders. The crayfish festival, at which people gather to eat, drink and be merry, is a typical Swedish festivity marking the end of the summer.

A traditional crayfish party

Once a preserve of the moneyed classes, the crayfish party is today an occasion for all. Over the years, certain aspects of it have become a tradition.

Crayfish are to be eaten outdoors, and gaily coloured paper lanterns should be hung round the table. The most popular type of lantern shows a smiling full moon. Both the tablecloth and the colourful plates are also supposed to be of paper. People wear bibs round their necks and comic paper hats on their heads.

Then the feast begins. You eat crayfish cold, with your fingers. Sucking noisily to extract the juices is perfectly acceptable behaviour. Bread and a strong cheese such as mature Västerbotten are eaten on the side. People mostly drink beer and the inevitable schnapps.