Lobster – Poverty to Riches

Anyone who comes to Atlantic Canada has a lobster dinner on their list of things to do but for generations, lobster was called ‘poor man’s chicken’ and ‘crockroach of the sea’. It was inexpensive and underappreciated. Children would often try and trade their lobster sandwiches for the more exotic peanut butter sandwich which their more well-to-do classmates had brought.

Lobsters or ‘wolum keeh’, were a staple in the diet of the Mi’kmaq who also used the shells as fertilizer. Many reports by the first European settlers detailed just how abundant lobsters were. There are stories of thousands of lobsters being washed up on the shores after a storm. Perhaps it was because of this abundance that lobsters were used to feed prisoners and servants. It was cheap and plentiful. European settlers just did not like lobster which probably also contributed to its low status as a food item. But in the 1800s, canning became a viable method of preserving the delicate lobster meat. Steadily lobster became more and more desired and the price has gone up in response.

Why are lobsters cooked alive? Lobsters have harmful bacteria naturally present in their flesh. Once the lobster is dead, these bacteria can rapidly multiply and release toxins that may not be destroyed by cooking. So, lobsters are cooked alive to minimize the chance of food poisoning.