Atlantic City, NJ & Maine Lobsters Were Not Always A Delicacy

i don’t know about you … but, I love lobster.

I readily admit that at first glance, when you think about lobster … you think about Maine lobster.

Maine has earned its lofty reputation, much like Baltimore, Maryland hard shell crabs have earned their excellent reputation, too.

What is not as well known is the fact that the Atlantic City, New Jersey area also has magnificent lobsters and blue crabs … that are absolutely delicious.

Here’s a fact that you may not be aware of. Lobsters were not always considered to be a delicacy.

In fact, lobsters were considered to be disgusting bottom feeders … that most people would not even think about eating.

Lobsters were actually fed to prisoners, who hated eating this shellfish and complained about how often they had to eat lobster.

Look how things ultimately evolved over time. Lobsters went from a cruel and unusual punishment, to a highly expensive delicacy.

When you think about a lavish dinner gathering … items on the menu can include: caviar, oysters, truffles, Alaskan King Crab, large shrimp, foie grois and of course lobster.

Lobster is now considered high class … yet, Business Insider once wrote that lobster was “The Cockroach of The Sea” … certainly not a very appealing description.

The reversal is stark. You once couldn’t pay someone to eat lobster.

Now, most people can’t afford to eat lobster.

The Native Americans and colonists used lobster for bait to catch fish.

Lobster earned another nickname because of its abundance … formerly being referred to as a “poor man’s protein.”

It wasn’t until the 1880’s that East Coast restaurants began to serve lobster on their menus.

In Maine, the fishermen catch at least 100 million pounds of lobster per-year.

Even when President Joe Biden recently and outrageously called for the various business and industry around the country to boycott Maine lobsters … when Biden held a state dinner (during his own Maine lobster boycott pronouncement) … what was the star of his lavish state dinner?

You guessed it … Maine lobster!

The Biden Boycott was short-lived, as there was no evidence whatsoever that the Maine Lobstermen had injured even one marine species, while fishing for their coveted delicacy over hundreds of years.

Now, you know the story about how lobsters went from punishment, undesirable food … to an absolute, highly-priced delicacy.

Oysters, which are now the star of most raw seafood bars, once had a similar bad reputation as lobsters.

Bon appétit.

SOURCES: TastingTable.com & Business Insider.