Kalles Kaviar, Crayfish Parties and Singing

I have developed a new addiction, to accompany my fika addiction. It is for a product named Kalles Kaviar (see pic). Kalles Kaviar is a swedish food product that is most commonly eaten on a hard-bread such as Ryvita. But I eat it whenever I can. I enjoy is most on soft bread with margarine and cheese. It has a very high salt content, which I think is why I crave it. It comes in a tube, and they don't last very long around me! I've never found anything like it in England, though I will be sure to look when I get back.

I made a trip to a big supermarket (PrisExtra) and while there I couldn't help but notice the difference in products. Many things are the same, as you would expect in the EU, but Sweden likes to preserve a lot of food, especially fish, so there's a lot of pickled food. There's also something called Surstromming which I have been told is a fermented fish. It comes in a can, and apparently once opened it can have a very strong effect on people. Not in a good way. I don't think I'll be trying that any time soon!
Sweden also has a big market for mushrooms, and there are lots of different types on sale. Much more choice than Sainsburys or Tescos, and all still reasonably priced. There's nothing special about them, and I'm assured they aren't magical...

Henrik and I went back to Alon, to spend a few more days in the sun, and to have a little romantic break from the city, just the two of us. It was really beautiful on the island, and there is nothing to distract you so it's a great place to just kick back and relax. In fact, Henrik and I barely spoke to eachother, as we sat in silence, deeply absorbed by our books. Total bliss! Talk about quality time alone together! We were joined at the end of the stay by Henrik's uncle and cousin, and Henrik's uncle had brought Crayfish with him. August is Crayfish season in Sweden, and they celebrate with Crayfish parties. This was not a Crayfish party, so-to-speak, more an introduction to Crayfish and Crayfish etiquette for me, incase I found myself at a Crayfish party in the near future. The following is an instruction on how to eat a Crayfish, and my reactions.

Step 1) Pick up your crayfish, turn it upside down, press your lips to its belly and suck. Seriously. Suck out all the juices. Mmmmm. (I thought they were kidding. I insisted that Henrik do it first.)

Step 2) Take your small crayfish knife and stab the crayfish behind the head, making a small hole. Now suck the juices through the hole. Yes that's right. The brain juices. The gut juices. (NB during step 1 and 2 it's compulsory to make as loud a slurping noise as possible. Apparently this isn't rude.)

Step 3) Pull off the head. Rip it off. Keep it as a trophy on the side of your plate so you can keep a tally of how many you have eaten. Take off the remaining top shell, if it didn't come off with the head. Pull the sides apart slightly to access the innards. (Don't eat the gills (the sides). I did. To be honest they looked the most edible so I took my chances. Bad idea. After eating it I checked with Henrik that it was OK to eat and he looked shocked. I thought I was going to die.)

Step 4) You guessed it. Suck out the remaining innards. Noises still compulsory.

Step 5) Pull off the crayfish tail. Use your hands and, if needed, the small crayfish knife, to remove the shell. Congratulations. You've reached the meatiest part. This is the part that makes it to all the pre-packed sandwiches on our UK high street. I've never tasted such good crayfish!

Step 6) Locate the claws. They'll be somewhere in the pile of discarded shell and carcass, and can be a variety of sizes. Pull them off, then one by one bite them to break the shell. It's best now to use the knife and dig out the claw meat. It's really a gamble as to whether there's anything worth eating inside, but if you do get something it's delicious.

Step 7) At this point you have officially eaten your crayfish. Celebrate by singing a song and drinking some Snaps. Congratulations! Now start again.


After my lesson in Crayfish 101, I felt prepared to face a crayfish party. My first was really very tame, as there were children present (Henrik's nephew and niece). We ate lots of crayfish, and I can tell you I had 10. I kept my trophy tally of course. I had to resist the urge to put the heads on my fingers and thumbs and make a crayfish puppet theatre. I didn't want to set a bad example to the children, though personally I think they would have loved it!

Let me tell you about Allsang Pa Skansen. It's a Swedish TV concert that airs every Monday and Tuesday during the Summer. The show is live and features swedish b-list celebrities singing their way through classic swedish songs, with audience participation. I found it...interesting. At first I really tried to like it, as I am trying to embrace swedish culture and, for want of a better phrase, 'fit-in'. But I soon learned that many of my new friends aren't keen on it either, despite its seeming popularity. So I breathed a sigh of relief and stopped trying so hard. However, the series had it's final show this week, rather like a swedish last night of the proms. Imagine my shock when their final song to end the entire season was none other than Land of Hope and Glory. I'm not overly patriotic in any sense, but I felt weird hearing it sung with swedish words, in celebration of their final show. It made me feel home sick. I will definitely be tuning in to the BBC Last Night of the Proms in September.

Finally, on Monday 16th, Henrik, his Mother and I went to an Opera concert in honour of Jussi Bjorling, the famous Swedish tenor (now deceased), at the Royal Castle in Stockholm. This was the first of a series of Summer concerts (the REAL Swedish Proms) and featured a wonderful line up of talented swedish opera singers and one italian guest (Mario Malagnini) who had a splendid voice. It was a long night, but it was a concert full of classics, with a fantastic orchestra under the baton of Mats Liljefors and the evening was divine. It made me want to practise. Lots. I have a lot of work to do!