The gentle, atmospheric evenings of late summer entice you to invite friends to sit down at the table. And of course, with the crab season in full swing, let’s have a happy crab feast! The crab feast, which originated in Sweden, has established itself here in Finland too. But what do you put on the table besides crabs?
The setting for a crab party is naturally red and white, and lanterns and candles are a good decoration for the darkening evenings. Crabs are usually accompanied by toast, butter, and dill and, depending on whether the crabs are served as a starter or main course, a tasty soup can be served as a starter or a juicy steak as a main course. For dessert, for example, a cheesecake accompanied by a delicious summer berry harvest. As eating crab is a messy business, be sure to have a crab scoop, napkins, finger-washing cups, and a large container for the crab shells. At the beginning of the crab feast, the host usually announces the menu for the evening and how much crab is reserved per diner.
How about the drinks? Crab parties usually include mineral water, beer, wine (Chablis, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc) and of course schnapps. For a starter drink, you could have a Gin & Tonic or even a Dillinger. The schnaps are usually cold vodka or, for example, a dill vodka or cucumber snaps. Schnaps are accompanied by various speeches and drinking songs that are sung together, the most famous of which is Helan går below.
Helan går!
Sjunghoppfaderallanrallanlej!
Helan går!
Sjunghoppfaderallanrallanlej!
Och det som inte Helan tar,
Han ej heller Halvan får.
Helan går!
Sjunghoppfaderallanrallanlej!
The whole goes down,
Sing hup fol-de-rol la la la la
The whole goes down,
Sing hup fol-de-rol la la la la
And he who doesn’t take the whole,
Doesn’t get the half either,
The whole goes down,
Sing hup fol-de-rol la la la la
Delicious crab parties and atmospheric autumn evenings to all!