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You are here: Home / Travel / Sweden / A Swedish crayfish party near Malmö – A Taste of Skåne Part 1

A Swedish crayfish party near Malmö – A Taste of Skåne Part 1

by Jeanne Horak on September 10, 2012 7 Comments in Sweden

Malmo crayfish party title © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

There are some iconic things in life that everybody needs to do once before they die. You know – things like swimming with wild dolphins. Seeing your favourite painting in real life. Getting lost in Venice. Drinking wine in the country where the grape was grown. Keeping a pet. And attending a Swedish crayfish party.  As at the middle of August, I was still missing the dolphins, the pet and the crayfish party.  And although the lovely folks at Malmö Tourism were not able to help out in the dolphin or pet department, they certainly were able to help out in the crayfish party department when they recently invited me, Mr Cooksister, Su-Lin and Denise to visit Malmö.  We had arrived in the mid-afternoon and had spent a few hours walking around and acquainting ourselves with Malmö and the wonderfulMalmö festival (more on that in a later post) and having resisted the many and varied temptations of fried food on offer at the stalls (!), by evening we were hungry and ready for our crayfish party!

Crayfish parties are a traditional Nordic summertime eating and drinking celebration, originating in Sweden where they are called kräftskiva. The parties are generally held during August, because until recently crayfish harvesting in Sweden was legally limited to the late summer months. Although the first day of the harvest, the “kräftpremiär” in early August, used to be a date of great celebration, it now has no legal significance but the tradition of August crayfish feasts lives on. The closest any of us had been to a crayfish party was what we had seen in IKEA catalogues, so we were both excited and curious by the time the cab pulled up in Södervidinge at the home of Anna of Malmö Tourism and her husband Torbjörn. We were also joined by Sara from Skåne Tourism and her husband Patrick, Anna’s two dogs: a Jack Russell with eyes to melt your heart, and a Rottweiller that entirely undid his breed’s reputation of being vicious – he seemed content to lick you to death if you’d let him ;).

Malmo crayfish party table © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party Anna © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party group © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party table 2 © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party Denise © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party dogs © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Once all the introductions were done, Anna told us a little about the Swedish crayfish party traditions. Traditionally, the meal is enjoyed outdoors, but bad weather (and mosquitoes!) often drive the party indoors, so Anna had wisely cut to the chase and seated us in their gorgeous summerhouse full of limewashed wood and candles – hello, the IKEA catalogue!   It is apparently also customary to have colourful tablecloths of paper plates on which the Swedish flag colours and a cartoon crayfish feature prominently (check); paper lanterns (check) and comical paper hats featuring the man in the moon (check – modelled by Denise!).  Bibs are also sensible, but we decided to draw the style-conscious line there!

 

Malmo crayfish party beer © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party aquavit © J Horak-Druiff 2012

A very important part of the evening’s proceedings is the alcohol consumption – which is traditionally fairly erm, robust (!) – adding to the generally lively atmosphere of such parties.  To help out those who are shy in coming forward, the clever Swedes have also included the tradition of singing drinking songs, called Dryckesvisor, at regular intervals, followed by a shot of aqvavit for all.  A particularly popular number is “Helan går” which I first sang at the fab Swedish Christmas lunch I attended last December.  On offer to drink at Anna’s house were Beerssons IPA (an American style pale-ale) and Cacao Porter (a chocolate stout) – both from the Malmö Brewery.  For the less adventurous there was also white wine, and for the drinking songs and toasts there were local Skåne aqvavit, spiced with caraway, aniseed and fennel; as well as a homemade blackcurrant aqvavit made by Torbjörn’s mother, tasting for all the world like a vodka-spiked glass of Ribena! Dangerously delicious.

Malmo crayfish party bread © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party cheese © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party quiche © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party crayfish © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party candles 1 © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party my plate © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party food & drink © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party Nick Sulin © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party carnage © J Horak-Druiff 2012

So what was on the menu? There was wonderful sourdough bread and of course Swedish crispbread; there was a cheeseboard containing a number of Swedish cheese including my favourite strongly-flavoured Västerbotten cheese (eating cheese with seafood is traditional, as I learnt on my previous trips to Sweden!); absolutley beautiful quiches homemade by Anna (one plain cheese and one absolutely bursting with chanterelle mushrooms); ahuge bowl of crayfish; and a salad (just to provide some light relief!).  The crayfish, we learnt, are not what I grew up calling crayfish (which are actually Cape Rock Lobsters) but small freshwater crayfish native to Sweden.  It is possible to buy them cheap, imported from Turkey or China, but the proper Swedish ones have a little yellow dot on where the joint of their big claw is – as ours did. The crayfish are boiled in (very) salt water along with some sugar and fresh dill stalks – preferably “crown dill” harvested after the plant has flowered – before being served cold and eaten with your fingers. The level of rowdiness goes up as you go along because the tenacity required to get to the spiky, stubborn crayfish’s sweet flesh often requires a few drink breaks before you actually get to consume any food! And a couple of short hours later, we were surrounded by half-empty aqvavit bottles and a pile of discarded crayfish shells: crayfish carnage!

 

Malmo crayfish party candles 2 © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party dessert  © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Malmo crayfish party chocs © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party whisky © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Malmo crayfish party Nick hat  © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

Despite the fact that none of us could remotely describe ourselves as hungry by this stage, we soldiered merrily on through dessert – a bowl of gorgeous fresh berries (in season and available in abundance all over Sweden) topped with excellent Ottos & Glassfabriken blueberry ice-cream. With coffee, Anna brought out two more treats: boxes of excellent chocolate truffles from Malmo Chokladfabrik; and a bottle of Spirit of Hven Swedish whisky, made on the Island of Ven.  Never heard of Swedish whisky?  Me neither – but this was delicous – smooth and caramelly – and I loved the bottle.

All too soon our taxi arrived to take us back to Malmö – although none of us wanted to leave.  As Anna explained earlier, most Swedes these days go to a restaurant or some organised party for their crayfish parties, so it is a rare privilege for us to have been invited into a Swedish home to enjoy this most Swedish of meals.  I want to say a huge thank you to Anna and Torbjörn for welcoming us into their home and to Sara and Patrick (and the dogs!) for making us feel so welcome and being so enthusiastic in teaching us about Swedish foodie culture and traditions.  Sitting in their summerhouse with the most astonishing rainstorm pelting down on the roof, we felt very much at home and amongst friends in out little candlelit room.  Tack så mycket!

Although it isn’t possible for Anna to invite every visitor to Malmö into her home for a meal, it is possible for anyone to join a family in Malmö for am authentic Swedish meal: A Slice of Swedish Hospitality is an initiative for visitors to the region to join a local host/family for a meal. Time your visit right and you might be lucky enough to get a crayfish party.  But at any time of the year, prepare yourself to be surprised by the incredibly high quality of local Swedish ingredients, and the open friendliness (and quirkiness!) of the Swedish people.

For more information on visiting Malmö, visit the Malmö Tourism website, or see the Visit Sweden website for more information on Swedish food.

For another perspective on the evening, see Su-Lin’s post, and have a look at a few extra photos in my Flickr set.

 

Malmo crayfish party final © J Horak-Druiff 2012

DISCLOSURE: I was invited to visit Malmö by Malmö Tourism and Visit Sweden, who paid for all flights, accommodation and meals.

 

Braai the Beloved Country logo © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

And while we’re chatting, don’t forget to submit your entry to my annual barbecue event, Braai, the Beloved Country, by 23 September! Participants also stand to win one of two copies of Braai Masters of the Cape Winelands (will ship worldwide) – so get the fire going right now!  Details of how to enter can be found here. 


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  1. bellini says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    Looks like an amazing time was had by all. I will have to add this to my bucket list!

    Reply
  2. Su-Lin says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:09 pm

    Wasn’t their place absolutely beautiful?! Sigh…

    Need to get more crayfish in my diet.

    Reply
  3. Rosa says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    A great party! The food looks mouthwatering.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  4. Johanna says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    that’s one very happy nick right there! i never knew about the cheese with the seafood, je me coucherai moins bete ce soir!
    looks like a wonderful spread and i can only hope that one day you will have a summer house in the south of sweden where i can come visit! xox

    Reply
  5. Firefly says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:16 pm

    That looks like one hell of a dinner party. I agree with the crayfish. Nothing like what we have down in SA. And being cheap it means its probably easier to come by than ours.

    Reply
  6. ShipspotterCT says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Thank You. What a wonderful visual and delicious post. I have not been to Sweden and am so enjoying your posts. Definitely a destination on our travel list. Lisa. aka @africanrelish too!

    Reply
  7. Coco Cooks says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    Swedish Whiskeys are excellent. We like Mackmyra Special. Ones to watch. The quiche bursting with chanterelles made me “home sick”. I told CS something has to be done about this situation.;-)

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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