The Swedish Cray-Crayfish Party

Before the mid-19th century, lobster was considered to be a bottom feeder of North American gastronomy. Fishermen used it as bait, the poor had no choice but to eat it, and prisoners were forced to eat it as punishment (I carefully researched this on Wikipedia). It was the rat of the ocean floor. However, somewhere along the way the wealthier New Englanders started developing a taste for it and now lobster sells for almost $50 per pound. I don't know how the crayfish ended up on the dinner table (Wikipedia really let me down here), but something tells me this mini-lobster might have had a similar rise to fame in the Northern social democratic havens of Europe. I have also come to the conclusion that Sweden might love the cray and the party it entails more than yours truly, as I had the pleasure of attending two crayfish parties this past month.

Figure 3. Cruel and unusual punishment turned into middle class excuse for alcohol consumption?

The first party was at my chosen student organization: Helsingkrona Nation. They arranged the evening specifically to introduce this treasured Swedish custom to foreigners. We sat down to a meal of the red shellfish, along with cheese pie, knackebröd, and steamed beans. All things considered, the occasion was formal and laid back. The newbies were taught how to pry the main course open. Many discovered the disappointingly small amounts of meat within the critters and figured the sliced fingertips were not worth the effort (maybe this is a reason lobsters were given to prisoners). While drinking schnapps and other liquid inebriants plays an important role in both Finnish and Swedish crayfish cultures, Helsingkrona was required by law to sell us our drinks i.e. BYOB not OK. Naturally, this took the party out of the designated ballroom before 10pm.

Figure 4. Observing customs with traditional ceiling decorations.

The crayfish party held in our corridor was another story. We had barely sat down when the schnapps flow out-grossed all freshwater in the kingdom and the songbook had been consulted more than the Magna Carta. One by one, people were called to stand on their chairs to down their drink and sing a solo celebrating this achievement. Pie was once again served, yet this time with a delicious Greek inspired salad and garlic bread on the side. Furthermore, the evening turned into a musical showcase of Swedish pop hits the Swedes of the corridor were more than eager to present to us.

All in all, the crayfish party proved to be a great format for flatmate bonding. Not everyone out of our 19 person corridor were present but the ones who came certainly got their time's worth. Thinking back to Scotland, I cannot name a corresponding dinner tradition with an equal notoriety and fixed time of year. Freshers in Scotland were taken to whisky distilleries and a dinner featuring haggis, so there is a clear difference in how the food culture was introduced too. Though it should be noted that the crayfish party is a social custom and a culinary tradition that cannot be uncoupled. This is not to say there isn't a social side to Scottish gastronomic culture, but there is no denying that Sweden knows where the priority lies when a good first impression is required. Like I concluded in my previous post, it is all about the branding.

Figure 5. Kräftskiva™