So What's a Crawfish Boil Anyway

Posted by Benson

The DGA crawfish boil is just around the corner, and if you are coming to the boil you may be wondering what to expect.  Well, I have written about crawfish boils on the blog in the past, and those posts have been, I think, a great source of information.  You should check them out.

First up, I recommend reading my post from last year about what a crawfish boil is.  This will give you a nice history about not only what sort of event a crawfish boil is, but why crawfish are so indelibly associated with Louisiana, and particularly southern Louisiana, culture.  Far more than a mere local culinary quirk, the crawfish has grown to be associated with a very important type of symbolism in Louisiana, and this only relatively recently in the grand scheme of things.

In Louisiana, the crawfish is not only incredibly tasty, but it is also cheap, locally produced, attached to a unique cultural tradition, and represents technological and economic success.  The crawfish is accessible to everyone and enjoyed by everyone, cutting across lines of difference and establishing common bonds between otherwise disparate people.  The crawfish itself, and its history in Louisiana, is incredibly interesting from a cultural perspective, and although a crawfish boil is broadly similar to a feast event whether you are talking about a clam bake or a bar-b-q, the inclusion of the mudbug gives the crawfish boil an especial meaning.

Now, when it comes to the nuts and bolts of actually eating crawfish, take a look at this post about how to peel crawfish, and you can also read this post as well.  Peeling crawfish might be slow going at first for first-timers, but I guarantee that not only will the result be well worth it, but with a little bit of practice you'll be peeling as fast and easily as the rest of us in no time!