As the Swedish summer holidays draws to a close, and the balmy nights, almost Mediterranean in character, are filled with the sounds of Swedes having crayfish Parties.

Crayfish have been eaten in Sweden since the 16th century. For a long while, only the aristocracy partook of these delicacies, as popular suspicion of shellfish was widespread. Originally, crayfish meat was used for sausage, ragout, patties or puddings.

In the mid-19th century, people started eating crayfish as they are eaten today. The crayfish feast or crayfish supper in the month of August spread through the middle classes. In the 20th century, crayfish became a national delicacy and people in all sectors of society began celebrating the occasion. The price of crayfish fell as a result of imports from Turkey and elsewhere. The crayfish feast, at which people gather to eat, drink and be merry, is a typically Swedish festivity marking the end of the summer.

Due to the risk of over-fishing, restrictions on river crayfishing were introduced back in the early 20th century. The season was limited to six weeks from the beginning of August. Crayfish thus became an exclusive and much sought-after delicacy. The crayfish population has also been decimated on a number of occasions by a dreaded parasitic mould.

Today, imported crayfish are on sale all year round, but few Swedes are prepared to abandon the seasonal tradition. In early August, the media set the scene for the feast with detailed tests of the current year’s offerings, tips from celebrities and lists ranking the various brands.

In some years, Chinese crayfish are good, in others those imported from the US. But Swedish crayfish – needless to say – are always the best. The trouble is, they are very expensive. Whatever their origin, crayfish in Sweden are cooked as the Swedes like them – in brine, with plenty of crown dill.

The very few who have private access, like us at Alledal, catch their own crayfish. The little creatures are night animals, so fishing has to be done after dark. They are caught in wire traps and the bait is often rotten or raw fish. Crayfish must be alive when placed in the saucepan of boiling liquor.

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.

How to cook your own Kräftor

Two pounds of live crayfish [around 25-30]
Three litres of cold water
Five tablespoons of salt
One tablespoon of sugar
Dill crowns [when you grow fresh dill, you let it start to grow flowers, but you pick the dill before the buds evolve into flowers. The buds should have turned yellow though. This is very important; do not substitute for ordinary dill]

Make sure all of the crawfish are alive.

Boil water, salt, sugar, dill crowns.

Place the live crayfish in a colander, and lower them into the boiling water. let them cook for around ten minutes then leave them to cool in the seasoned water.

This is a dish served cold. As a side dish I recommend fresh warm bread and strong cheese such as mature Västerbotten [substitute a good aged Cheddar if your can’t get hold of this]. People mostly drink beer and the inevitable schnapps.