Pickled oysters are a traditional way of preserving oysters by pickling or curing. To pickle oysters, they are usually cooked for a short period after removal from the shell, cooled, and placed in glass jars with vinegar and other spices.[1][2]
History
editIn 1646, Humphrey Mill described pickled oysters being served to customers in brothels in England.[3] Another early reference to pickled oysters appears in the writings of Samuel Pepys, who wrote about them as early as 1661.[4]
According to Rowan Jacobsen, pickled oysters were "standard fare in every city on the Eastern Seaboard in that heady pre-canning era when oysters were in demand far and wide."[5] Pickled oysters were a popular dish among both the upper and lower classes.[6][7] Pickled oysters were also served at the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia.[8] In Colonial America, pickled oysters were a commonly traded commodity as a part of the slave trade.[9] The papers of George Washington indicate that he enjoyed pickled oysters in the 1780s and received them as a gift.[10]
In the 1840s and 1850s, Thomas Downing served pickled oysters at his establishment in New York City.[11]
In 1881, U.S. President James A. Garfield's inauguration dinner included over 100 gallons of pickled oysters.[12] Victorian-era cookbooks often include pickled oyster recipes.[13][14]
Pickled oysters were a frequent holiday staple in American homes of the 1800s.[15][16][17]
The 1903 Le guide culinaire includes a pickled oyster preparation. Pickled oysters are still a common staple in Southern cuisine of the United States, and have been a featured recipe by Mashama Bailey and Thomas Keller.[18][19]
See also
edit
Citations
edit- ^ "Pickled Oysters". Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries. Vol. 18. The Bureau of Fisheries. 1899. p. 472.
- ^ Murray, Eustace Clare Grenville (2022-09-04). The Oyster: Where, How and When to Find, Breed, Cook and Eat It.
- ^ Lister, Kate (2020-02-06). A Curious History of Sex. Unbound Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78352-806-6.
- ^ Stott, Rebecca (2004-11-04). Oyster. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-221-8.
- ^ "Pickled oysters - British Food in America". www.britishfoodinamerica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Wills, Matthew (2021-07-26). "How Oysters Became a Food Fad Way out West". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ "Joy of Oysters". Quite Simply French. 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Rust Brown, Barbara (2022-12-19). "Familiar Fare". www.colonialwilliamsburg.org. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Kurlansky, Mark (2007-01-09). The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-58836-591-0.
- ^ Livie, Katherine J. (2015-10-26). Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay's Foundation and Future. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62585-392-9.
- ^ Holifield, Tangie (2021-10-04). A Culinary History of the Chesapeake Bay: Four Centuries of Food & Recipes. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-7377-5.
- ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2009-01-14). "James A. Garfield's pickled oysters, 1881". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Murrey, Thomas Jefferson (1888). Oysters and Fish. F.A. Stokes & Brother.
- ^ Lehman, Eric D.; Nawrocki, Amy (2015-11-02). A History of Connecticut Food: A Proud Tradition of Puddings, Clambakes & Steamed Cheeseburgers. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62584-079-0.
- ^ "Dorlon & Shaffer Pickled Oysters". FOHBC Virtual Museum of Historical Bottles and Glass. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ "Pickled Oysters and Cider: What's in Your Kitchen?". New York Historical Society. February 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Hand, Greg (2021-07-27). "17 Curious Facts About Cincinnati's Ravenous Appetite for Oysters". Cincinnati Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ "Chef Mashama Bailey's Pickled Oysters Recipe". Masterclass. December 10, 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Jean (November 13, 2007). "Pickled Oysters". Epicurious. Retrieved 2023-10-31.