Crab boil is a spice mixture that is used to flavor the water in which crabs or other shellfish are boiled. A crab boil is also a social event where boiled crabs are eaten, a kind of seafood boil. Crab boils are known in the Ville Platte areas of Louisiana as “dome lobster boils,” stemming from the local term “dome lobster” based on the shape and composition of crabs and their likeness to a domed lobster. The largest of these gatherings is the Crayon d’Orange festival in Evangeline Parish.