Was lobster always considered a delicacy?

Lobsters switched from taboo to delicacy for a few reasons. The first reason was the Civil War. In the 1860s, canning became a viable way to get food rations to thousands of soldiers at a time. So in the mid-1800s, people as far away as California were able to buy and eat Maine lobster for the first time.

Why is lobster considered fancy?

Lobster was also known as the poor man’s meal because the overabundance of these guys made it easy for people with no money to get their protein. So by World War II, lobster was considered a delicacy and, as a result, what was once a poor man’s food became only affordable for them richer peeps.

When did lobsters become delicacy?

The lobster did not become a popular food until the mid-19th century, when New Yorkers and Bostonians developed a taste for the delicacy. It wasn’t until someone figured out that a “lobster smack” could get the lobster alive and well to the major markets that the practice took hold.

Why is lobster so prized?

They used to be everywhere. History tells us that when the first Europeans reached the New World, lobsters would reportedly come ashore in piles up to two feet high, and thanks to their sheer abundance, lobsters were considered the poor man’s protein.

Did lobster used to be fed to prisoners?

Their abundance also meant colonists had easy access to protein during bad seasons or harvests, so lobster quickly garnered a reputation as the poor man’s meal. They were fed to prisoners, apprentices, and slaves as a way to save money.

Did the slaves used to eat lobsters?

When the first European settlers reached North America, lobsters were so plentiful that they would reportedly wash ashore in piles up to 2 feet high. Dirt-cheap because they were so copious, lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children during the colonial era and beyond.

How did lobster become a delicacy?

By the early 1900s, it was associated with Gilded Age decadence, thanks to people like millionaire caricature Diamond Jim Brady, who would reportedly eat six or seven lobsters at a sitting. Thus, in a span of maybe 50 years, a trash food became a delicacy.

Why do people eat lobsters?

They used them as fertilizers and fish bait. The ultra-expensive delicacy few people afford now were just thrown on the ground or fed to fishes. Since lobsters were so plentiful, they became the go-to source of protein during hard times. When harvests or seasons were bad, people grudgingly eat lobsters for sustenance.

Why are lobsters so popular with tourists?

Since people can now travel to areas with lobsters because of easy access to trains, fresh lobsters became popular with tourists. Coast dwellers marketed lobsters as a delicacy and since they were tasty, tourists did not think that they were paying to eat what locals regard as trash.

Why are lobsters considered a subsistence food?

They would have eaten lobster almost constantly, and the smell of thousands of dead lobsters on a beach could have understandably put them off the food entirely. So as time went on, lobster was identified as a subsistence food, something only to be eaten out of desperation.