@TastingHistory Hello Max, I’ve looked through your video playlists on your RUclips channel and, I’ve noticed something: You HAVEN’T done an episode on the history of Eggs Benedict.
I work as an archaeologist in Belgium and we regularly find oyster shells in medieval and Roman sites. Even back then they were often transported dozens or even hundreds of kilometers inland. The Romans already built artificial oyster farms on the atlantic and north sea coasts because they enjoyed them so much.
How'd they manage the salt water for them? That's an impressive logistics challenge. Yeah, they could just trial and error the salt to water ratio but considering the value of salt back then I can't imagine that's how they would refill the farms. It would have been way more economical to transport sea water instead
@@xhogan89x LOL! Their comment also made me scratch my head. I was thinking “What’d he mean ‘salt to refill the farms?…ohhhh, he’s picturing “farm” more like “Welcome to Nero’s Mountaintop Oyster Farm!”!!
@@dfghjdefrgthxcv perhaps thinking how supermarkets today work with saltwater baths for lobsters razorfish and the like are kept alive, I doubt the romans would have bothered, besides clams, mussels, razorfish and oysters are usually kept in fresh water for a few hours so they can filter out the sand and salt before eating them, though less so oysters,
@@denimadept Correct. He has acquired a variety of dishes and utensils specific to very particular foods/dishes, and I imagine that's where he gets some of the inspiration for new recipes. "Ooh, I found DISH A at an antique shop, which is specifically meant for cooking FOOD B. I should make a video about that!" I mean, honestly, I got really excited finding a Sunbeam toaster from the 1950's at my local antique shop because it doesn't need me to press any buttons and it consistently cooks my toast exactly the way I like it, regardless of how hot the toaster is. It's actually better than any modern toaster made today.
Overharvesting of oysters resulted in a precipitous decline in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are filter feeders and helped to maintain the health of the bay. Maryland and Virginia have undertaken projects to restore the oyster beds; It is not an easy project.
Having lived in that area for 15 years, parts of the Bay were less clean than many southern swamps...and that's saying something. Here's hoping for a renewal.
I’ve seen a video once demonstrating how well and quickly an oyster can clean a tank of water. It was amazing. We should definitely promote protecting oysters and other bi-valves. Pete Seeger musician, singer, activist and environmentalist spent much of last years working to clean up and reclaim the Hudson River. They knew they were making progress when the oysters started to return.
Great video. One of the cool sounding jobs that arose from the US oyster trade was "Oyster Trainer". Once oysters started being transported inland they wanted them to stay closed & fresh for as long as possible. So the job of training oysters became a thing. Oysters would be laid on the shoreline where they would still get covered by the incoming tide. When uncovered by water someone would walk along the shore tapping the shells to encourage them to stay closed. As the "training" developed they oysters would be moved further up the shore, spending longer out of the water. This along with the tapping got them used to staying shut for longer periods. Once this was complete the oysters were ready to be sent by train packed in ice. Sending oysters long distance isn't relatively new either. The Roman Empire loved oysters & thought the British Rutupian oyster was particularly wonderful. They shipped them from Britain to Rome (which in a straight line is about 1000 miles). Its postulated that they did this in stages with the oysters either in water filled tanks or amphora/barrels in the ship & stopping to refresh the water or lay them out in estuaries. This way they could freshen up & plump up by feeding on the plankton in the water, arriving in Rome in top condition. So good were they at sending oysters places that Apicius is said to have devised a method of packing oysters so that he could send them to Trajan while he was campaigning in the Parthian desert (115 AD).
this is one of the coolest comments I've ever read. thank you for sharing the most interesting facts and insights, they enriched the original content even more for me! :)
@@dimmingstar Thank you, that's a lovely thing to say. Though I'm standing on the shoulders of giants as Tasting History is such a good food history channel (if not the best). I've always loved history & food & combining them makes such good sense as they've always heavily influenced each other. I also collect old recipes & cooking equipment to experiment with. It's great fun & I haven't poisoned myself yet - too badly anyway.
Thank you for covering NYC's history with oysters! I used to work on the Billion Oyster Project to repopulate oysters in New York Harbor, and I always appreciate people raising awareness about our history with that!
@@monkeygraborange Oysters themselves are quite clean, and water cleanup in New York has come immensely far. The issue was that oyster populations were being decimated at the same time as sewer was being carelessly dumped into the water. Right now, sustainable oyster repopulation is being undertaken to return it as a staple of NYC for a variety of reasons, ranging from environmental to culinary.
@@OlEgSaS32 In progress, but going very well! NYC used to host 90% of the world oyster population, so we're trying to get back to one billion, which is going to uhh take a few years lol. But we'll get there!
My great-great grandmother Sarah ran a boarding house in the early 1900's along the Lehigh canal. Being so close to a trade hub, she was able to put oyster stew on her usual menu, in season and at a very fair price. When the family moved further north and inland, oysters were very rare and to be looked upon suspiciously if fresh. In the 1950's, the family still missed her oyster stew, so she put in a special request with Jerry, "The Huckster," who traveled throughout the region, buying, selling and trading goods to be offered to the rural citizens. He'd take your pots to be mended, your scissors to be sharpened, and would buy your eggs and butter. His old war-wagon of a Suburban had a scale inside for weighing nails and produce, and always smelled like bananas and chewing gum. Jerry came back in a month with three quarts of home-canned oysters from "down the shore." The stew was as good as it had ever been, the family has this wonderful story to tell, and Jerry put all three of his children and all 7 of his grandchildren through college, cash on the barrel!
@@chadreese9501 I can take no credit, but thank you. I wish I had been wiser when I was young, and asked for more stories from my great grandparents. Those old photographs hardly show what robust lives and interesting relationships our dearly departeds had.
@@MildredCady oh, it couldn't be simpler! Sautee some celery and onion in a generous dollop of butter. Add whole milk enough to make your volume of soup, (plus some cream or half & half if you like.) Turn the heat down to low, add your desired amount of cleaned oysters plus the liquor. Heat very low and very slow to prevent scorching and overcooking. Salt and pepper to taste, and a little fresh parsley is nice. Potato and leeks are also good additions that do not compete with the delicate flavor.
Or Cloyster being forced to sit there while Max recounts the mass murder of its people. Bearing a rictus grin for the camera that never reaches its eyes.
To add a bit of my own culture's oyster history, Korea also has its share of middens, some dating to the Neolithic Period. A midden at Dongsam-dong, Busan, Korea shows that stone age Koreans also loved oysters, along with a variety of other seafood (including sea urchins). This is an absolute amazing episode, so much history and variety of history, all with oysters in the background or forefront. You can really tell this was a passion project, keep up the great work!
Great Episode Max. As a child growing up in NYC in the 60’s, I loved eating “Oyster’s Rockefeller” which were served at many fine restaurants, and many more dive bars. When I looked up the recipe in later life, it was similar to this, but not the same. This seems more like what I remember! As a 9 year old, I once ate 5 plates of a dozen at my Grandpa’s retirement party. He’d been Oscar de la Renta’s shop manager in the Garment District. There were all these Union/Mob guys in amazing suits who would cheerfully buy Jerry’s grandkid another plate. Of course, none of these were “baby” sized. Just like what you made. Thanks for bringing back a good memory! I’m glad to hear they are bringing them back to NY Barbour.-Evan
I had some oysters rockefeller recently here in the bay area at a famous place in bolinas, which is around 1.5 hours north of san francisco. great way to eat them.
What a fantastic story! Thank you for sharing it. For some reason the image of a kid gorging on Oysters Rockefeller is more wholesome than burgers or hot dogs! 😅
They were common in the 18th century, too--the shells of oysters coming from Baltimore were used to make the slaked lime that built the buildings here in southern Pennsylvania.
Oysters and other easily harvested shellfish like clams and mussels have long been a staple for the poor. My best friends family were lobster fishermen and she was always embarrassed to eat lobster sandwiches at school because it was something that only the poor ate and she got teased .
@@baileywright3113 Prisoners in CT colonial prisons petitioned the powers that be not to have lobster - they settled on something like the prisons wouldn't serve lobsters on 3 days a week [it may have been more or less].
@bobbyhill1013 I'm in my mid seventy's and from Newfoundland which wasn't a part of Canada until the 1949. Lobster fishermen were making very little money from their catch, around 20. cents a lobster in the 50's.
It makes me think of a titbit about Australian history - it was a bit of luck that the initial colonial settlement in Sydney survived, as they were trying to use British farming techniques in a far different climate, and rather ignoring bushfoods. One bushfood that was very local to the colony, which likely they might have been told about by their Aboriginal advisor, Bennalong, is the Sydney Rock Oysters, which have since been considered rather gourmet seafood.
@@TastingHistoryit’s in your DNA apparently, with a little practice you’ll be shucking like a pro in no time ! Sincerely, a Bostonian with a Boston stabbing knife 😉
So glad to see someone else who enjoyed the book "Salt" as much as I did. What a wonderful and detailed walk through the history of something so easily overlooked in the modern age. To anyone who hasn't read it, a solid recommendation. Cheers.
Regarding the oyster panic, it is interesting to note that oysters are natural water filtration systems. They feed by essentially taking water in, keeping in molecules such nutrients and/or pollutants and returning the water cleaner in the environment. It is the reason why they are becoming popular for water restoration projects. It is also why you should be aware of the waters they are grown in, cause if they are from a heavily polluted area, they are likely to carry bacteria that can make you sick. See for example, consuming oysters growing in waters where sweage is being dumped, would be quite likely to spread cholera, since they would be contamimated with the bacteria.
My favorite thing thing about this channel is the moderate skill level instead of dealing with a refined chef that talks down to you. The humility is appreciated!!!
I am going to respectfully disagree about Mr. Miller's skill level. He has an amazing ability to bring past dishes into the present and prepare attractive and flavourful looking dishes. Yes, he has humility AND he does not talk down to us, but I believe that is a reflection of his generosity of spirit and not his lack of cooking skills.
I went to Apalachicola FL for 3 days once and went "When in Rome" mode, ate nothing but oysters. Raw with lemon or hot sauce or an oyster Benedict for breakfast. There were so many oysters harvested there in the early days, they used the shells (tabby) for construction projects. You can see them in the streets and in hotel columns, etc. The oyster pan you baked them in could double as a sort of aebleskiver pan for those round pancakes from Denmark that I had in Solvang as a teen. I bought the pan and still make them for the grands.
Another interesting footnote - the iconic Chinese Takeout Box we see here in the United States were originally designed to hold oysters, so they could be shucked at the store and the insides could be brought home without the shells.
I'm so glad you made a video on this! I go to college for archaeology in Gettysburg PA, and in one of our excavations we found a TON of oyster shells. It turns out that there were two oyster parlors in town during the 19th century, one of which was owned by a freed slave. He also sold ice cream lol.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in an area that had oyster beds that have been tended for generations and these lovely Pacific oysters are delicious. Can't wait to watch the story on your family Max. Our journey with you as you continue to do this thing called RUclips has been wonderful.
The Victorian dish service used to have oyster plates as part of the set. My mom always wanted me to start collecting them as she sold antiques and I was a chef. They still are a pricey piece of china. They are very interesting and beautiful. While I lived in NJ they were not uncommon, once I moved to Idaho I have never seen them. With your family history, I would be surprised if someone didn't have them. Great video.
There are “shell hills” in the south of Brazil that are very important archaeological sites, they are called sambaquis. They were also caused by the consumption of shelled animals by the indigenous peoples. Unfortunately these places are currently endangered, but are an important aspect of our history and quite ignored.
In the Southern US, a lot of historical sea towns used “Tabby” (a mixture of oyster lime, sand, water, ash, and other shells) as a building material. It’s also called oyster concrete. It’s a man made version of the coquina rock (a rare sandstone comprised of ancient shell fragments that glued themselves together over time as their calcium carbonate dissolved) the Spanish fort at St. Augustine, FL was built from. Coquina is naturally bulletproof and cannon balls would just sink into it. When other Spanish and English settlers arrived they started using the shells and the lime from them for construction. Shells were mixed in to the exterior tabby building blocks to look pretty. I’ve even seen tabby walls set with sharp shell edges sticking up to deter people and animals from climbing over the walls. I grew up at the beach in NC, and oyster shells were also used in decoration around cottages. Mixed into cement for sturdy patio pavers and made into homemade concrete pieces to use as edgers to edge flower beds. When coastal towns became too expensive for most people to afford a place back in the late 90s and up, those decorative elements started disappearing. Homemade became seen as cheap and something done because you couldn’t afford store bought. I miss the decor. With hurricanes and the winter Nor’Easters, everything used outside had to be very heavy and sturdy to survive. Local fishermen were happy to give away leftover shells as it cost to truck them away and dump them. My mom talked our local fishmonger into telling us where the drop area was. So we’d go get buckets of leftover shells to decorate with. The smell was horrible, but after a bleach bath, the shells were gorgeous. My mom made some gorgeous wreaths and ornaments.
North africa also has some pretty famous mounds of seashells that date all the way back to prehistory. What older civs considered trash is often what gives us the most info on them
Hi Max, my family are big fans of your channel and I am thrilled to share that my 93 year old grandmother has passed on her 1950’s copy of the Joy of Cooking. 😃 It even has instructions for how to adjust your baking when you’re at altitude such as if you’re baking a cake in the Appalachian. 😀 Sidenote. Grandma is Hawaiian and really enjoyed your Kalua pig episode! I hope you learn a lot about your family history! 🦪🦪🦪
Lobster seems to have had a very similar history in the US? 🤔Apparently started out as a food of the poor (& rather looked down upon as such) until overharvesting made it rare & the big ones became so hard to get that this scarcity morphed them into a real high-ticket restaurant item.
It was the same globally - London also had a similar oyster craze at this point in history and in Dickens' Pickwick papers a character notes '“poverty and oysters always seem to go together”.
A lot of things like that change over time as technology makes different things cheap or expensive. Highly processed and preserved foods were at first a rich people thing because it was expensive to make but then they became cheaper to make than fresh food so it switched places. Now organic and fresh food is more expensive because farms can produce much more by using pesticides and fertilizer. French fries and potato chips used to also be high class things, and very recently as well, because cutting them involved a lot of labor but then methods for mass production were invented and both instead became cheap snacks and as such associated with the working class and something rich people started avoiding.
Grandfather always made an oyster stew Christmas Eve. Milk, butter, spice - maybe onion and/or celery. Served over toasted bread. He was Swiss. Do not the origin within the family history. I have a picture of myself, in his lap at about 3 years, eating that soup. He loved that I would, at least, try any dish. Thank you! 🤗
@winstondeleon2350 Galway Oyster festival starts in a week or so where you can order a pint of guinness and get a few oysters free with. depending on the pub
So the fact that many oyster saloons became brothels...is this why oysters are considered an aphrodisiac? It would make sense as I don't see why other mollusks such as clams, scallops, and mussels don't have the same connotation. Another fine episode!
I have only recently discovered this channel and i am totally hooked. This guy is a delight. It's just me and my cat, so I'm not really much of a cook. But i love history and especially how these meals bring history to life. It's time for me to binge on all his previous videos 😊 ❤ from Brisbane Australia 🇦🇺
We live on the Florida Gulf Coast. We tend to smoke our oysters on the half-shell. We forgot Oysters Rockefeller was a thing. Next weekend we are going to try this but bake them in the smoker instead of an oven! Excited to try this! 😮 ❤
I never had any idea that oysters had ever been this popular. I like the way Max backed up his defiance of the old R-rule for oysters by posting this episode in July.
Oysters have been a staple diet of the poor for thousands of years. Romans ate them, the builders of Neolithic sites ate them. this has been proved by mounds of shells turning up at digs. They have been in and out of 'fashion' all that time. The Rich decided they liked them and forced the poor out, then they got bored, so the poor got them back, now they are a delicacy again They look disgusting to me! I read something where someone described them as like swallowing sea flavoured nasal mucus. That was me Out! I would try a cooked one, Maybe! I have eaten snails, and guess what? It is like eating a dead snail! The sauces are nice though!
Oysters are a either love them or hate them... I cannot stand the slimy nasty things Someone suggested eating fried oysters because they are less slimy and more flavorful..... ummm no...I tried the fried version and still hate them
Ditto. Was very interesting, but I don't care for oysters. I just don't 'get' them and can't see the attractiveness in them other than there might be a pearl inside. That has happened several times. But tastewise it's just nada. 😵💫
I find them awful. They look like a rock covered in birdshit on the outside, and they look like rotten moldy chicken on the inside. Every time I've eaten one, I've bitten down a tiny bit of broken shell or sand. They smell awful, and taste gross. I like seafood but they have zero appeal for me
I'm pretty sure that Max Miller (armed with hardtack and garam) is single handedly fighting off my depression demons. I've noticed that ever since I started watching his videos 2 years ago my love of history and my love of life has flourished. 💜🖤💙
seriously this is the most refreshing comments section of any YT channel I follow. i learn stuff by reading the comments! people are nice! Max is awesome!
The history of oyster craze on the west coast of the United States is an interesting story as well. Washington State has a small native oyster called the Olympia oyster that was very nearly eaten to extinction in the 1800s when people all along the west coast wanted oysters, and tons were shipped them from Washington to California during the gold rush. Today serious efforts are trying to restore the populations of these small native oysters here in Washington, although competition with non-native oyster species brought in for farming can sometimes hamper those efforts.
The only oysters I've had were locally grown in Humboldt Bay, California, at the tail end of the Pacific Northwest. The town of Arcata, CA has an Oyster Festival (or had, I haven't been that far north since the Before Times) where different vendors compete with their oyster specialties.
I tried my first oyster at a party where an oyster tray was provided. I was strongly urged by the host to eat those damned oysters after all of the trouble he had gone through to get and prepare those little delicacies. The tray was beautifully arranged and well iced. Needless to say, I did not stop at the first one, to the host's delight. Ever since this party I have enjoyed oysters every time I have had the opportunity.
The pan looks exactly like a Danish Æbleskiver pan. Æbleskiver are small balls of pancake batter cooked on a specific pan to achieve a texture similiar to Yorkshire pudding. Served with a fruit jam or puree, powdered sugar and sometimes whipped cream. Because Denmark.
The reputation of oysters as an aphrodisiac is more clear to me now that you've explained the origins of them being eaten primarily in brothels. The customary red lights advertised the availability of both of the delicacies that the shops were providing. Eat oysters, get...
I purchased Big Oyster several years ago and still have it to this day. I thought it was fascinating to see how oysters played a huge role on food history. It’s equally thrilling to have this new recipe and I can’t wait to try it 😊
Omg!! I LOVE Mark Kurlansky!! Literally my favorite nonfiction writer; I also started with Salt. I haven't read his oyster book, but I've read Milk! and Cod. I'm so happy you mentioned him because I think he's one of the reasons I've gotten so into food history (aside from reading Wikipedia articles about food repeatedly). Also i just started watching your channel a few months ago after a random recommendation and I've been working my way through the episodes. I really love it a lot and you're very engaging, so thank you for your work, Max!
While i can’t think of any historical significance i’d love if you did a video on one of the many “hangover cure” foods. While i don’t drink that much anymore i always found it fascinating how many cultures have a dish for hangovers and i’ve seen them dating back centuries. Would be awesome to have a good story related to one.
Where there is drink there will always be someone who over indulges and those who over indulge always try to find a way to sooth the pain of their greed with whatever they can find.
nothing to do with any of this, but you might like it. Have you heard of Prairie Oysters? Supposed hangover cure. It is actually a raw egg. When we first marred, we lived in a post Industrial place in the Black Country, England. It was euphemistically called a 'village'; but it would never make it onto one of those tourist posters that the Tourist board love selling Fake England with. Anyway, we had a pub, 'The Cottage in the Bower' Cute name for something that had been in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. but it Was old and had somehow survived. Anyway, every Sunday lunchtime a guy would arrive with a van and he would sell eggs, meat and some veg. No idea where it came from as we were a long way from any country and no one ever asked! He would go around the pub cracking a raw egg into everyone's pint, whether you wanted it or Not! I managed to avoid him by fleeing with my beer when I saw him come in. Protein, he said, hangover cure , he said. Vomit inducing I said. the sight of those eggs floating in scrumpy was enough to put you of your Sunday Roast! Lava lamps a go - go! But it wasn't far off a Prairie oyster. And some of our hardened imbibers swore by it.
Oysters are a big commodity in Louisiana, especially New Orleans. I'd love to hear the history around the NOLA original (I believe anyway) Oysters Rockefeller, or any of the Cajun and Creole dishes we take for granted down here. Gumbo especially would be a neat one, or crawfish etouffee.
Hey there from 2025. The best NOLA oyster have to be grilled oysters from Acme oyster house. Grilled with butter, topped with Parmesan and served with crispy French bread for dipping. Nom nom.
😮 Reminds me of a 1920s dish I made recently: Huîtes Musgrave's (oysters baked in shell with cheese). There also exists a modern version called Fiesta scallops - which adds chopped chili peppers and is served with Pico de Gallo.
You know... after MANY bad days at work, I find a lot of peace in your videos. Thank you for combining my two favorite things; history and food. I absolutely love this channel!!
Although I'm not a fan of oysters, the history was fascinating. And what an intriguing family history you have too! Really loved the collaboration. So many questions. You have to update us if you learn more...
That reminds me of how weird I was as a child, I wanted to try oysters really badly because of the scene in Alice in Wonderland...and in a landlocked country around Christmas my parents provided them and watched in horror as I sucked them gleefully from their shells.
@@rickwilliams967Yes. Here in the Philippines we do still have oyster bars. Come at the right time of night and they can turn into oyster brothels too.
The oyster industry of Eastern Long Island lasted for a _very_ long time after the fall of the oyster industry in the city, because of Shinneycock Bay. Shinneycock was _brackish_, which meant that oysters thrived and grew thick and heavy. But the New England Hurricane of 1938 blasted through the spit of land between the sea and the bay in Hampton Bays, and it could not be repaired. So they made it a permanent inlet, which greatly increased the salinity of the bay, and wiped out the oysters.
The history lesson on NYC oysters kinda reminds me of the oysters in Oysterville, WA, they were harvested nearly to extinction there but has sense slowly been repopulating along with an area that can't be commercially harvested, though you can go out and get like 10 a day and shuck them there on the beach youself.
Anyone who can shuck a west coast oyster that's found on the beach (they're usually huge, and there are a lot of Japanese Pacific oysters in WA now) with just an oyster knife is the real champion shucker. If you do pick up feral Pacifics, boil them in the shell for about a minute for an oyster the size of your hand, and use a mallet to drive a big screwdriver through the hinge to get them open.
FYI love all your videos but just wanted to say you are amazing and so proud of everything you've accomplished thus far. Like seriously, what an epic journey! Keep on being the amazing you that you are!!
Loving that recipe! Fortunately in the pacific northwest on Vancouver island's west coast, there are oysters and clams It is preferable to harvest in much cooler months. I'd say my favorite oysters are homemade smoked and canned. I also enjoy them tossed in a camp fire until they pop open, add salt, lemon or lime and hot sauce
My family has been in the Lowcountry, Charleston to Savannah, since the late 1700ss. My parents' Christmas Eve tradition was an oyster "stew", really a milk, cream, wee bit of four and butter soup filled with oysters. All 5 of us children watched in horror as they gleefully gobbled up those slimy oysters:) The history was such a delight and I learned so much!
That recipe sounds so delicious! Thank you for sharing it. You really should have your own cooking show. There are few shows that have non-trained chefs that people can relate to, and you are very relatable and pleasant. I have followed you since the beginning and you have only gotten better. I love that you also have history to back up your chosen dish. History is what brought me here in the first place and you delivered. I think you are magnificent! Thank you.
I once worked as a park ranger/historian at Fort Pulaski in Savannah, GA. During the Civil War, the Union soldiers posted there would often write in their diaries or letters home about all the oysters they harvested and ate. They even exchanged goods with a fort at Hilton Head using oysters as payment. While I no longer live in Georgia, smoked oysters on the grill is a big thing there in the fall! Lots of parties and festivals starring that bivalve!! 😃
The story about the season being timed by the months with the letter "R" in it made me laugh. In South Africa, there is a "rule" that "snoek" (a very popular fish here) should only be eaten in months without the letter "R" in them. Maybe something to do with us being on the opposite side of the planet.
I was always led to believe it was to do with spawning season. Plus the months without R are usually the hottest, so they would go bad very quickly. Pre refrigeration.
@hogwashmcturnip8930 Yes, but in South Africa, May to August is autumn and winter. The story is that in months with the "R" in the fish has worms in them. I have never found out if it is true, but I will not take the chance. Lol.
In Sweden we have a "rule" that peasop (made on usually yellow peas) is also only served in months with R in the name. But I guess it is the opposite in that case as the peas were usually dried, and May-August was when you could get fresh stuff.
My first comment, but first I want to tell you how much I enjoy your channel! I used to live on the North Carolina coast, and 20 years ago local oysters were a rarety and probably non-existent today. The oysters I bought there usualy came from Texas. When I could get local oysters it was a real treat. They were very salty and full of little pea crabs.. I remember shucking a bushel with a crab in every other one, and sometimes two or even three! I made oyster crab soup which is basically pea crabs, oyster liquor and milk, made with fatback. The little guys turn bright pink when you cook 'em. I also ate them alive with the raw oysters. What a delicacy! My comment will probably be lost anong 2,000 others, but I wanted to post it.
7:06 Instead of rice or rock salt, l used pie weights (mine are beans that l use over and over again when l pre-bake my pie shells). Worked like a charm and totally sustainable. 💖🌞🌵😷
Max being the descendant living in the Oyster Renaissance. An Oyster Cellar called ‘The Red Light’ where you dress up as a Barbershop Performer. I see a potential for a musical.
Another great video - I love you guys! As a veteran (Nova Scotian) oyster shucker, I can tell you that your shucking technique is impeccable... and I like that shucking knife. Mine is much less fancy and comes sharpened only at the tip - a common modification is to sharpen one side of the blade to facilitate the "sweep" which separates the muscle to free the top shell. And - if fortification is required prior to shucking - I (very) strongly recommend oyster shots: add a dab of Heinz chili sauce (or seafood sauce) to a shot glass, then one or two shucked oysters (depending on their size), and a shake of Tabasco. Top the glass with frozen vodka or tequila, and enjoy. After a few of those I can shuck fifty or sixty oysters in one go! Keep up the great work!
Fascinating as ever, Max! I can't get my head over how insanely popular oysters were across 19th Century society either. In London, the Oyster Card people use for the Tube takes its name from how oyster-sellers would go everywhere in the city. And in Manchester, where I'm from, one of the oldest pubs is called Sinclair's Oyster Bar
Hi Max. I've lived in coastal Connecticut my entire 76 years. I grew up digging for clams. As good as oysters may be, personally I prefer cherry stone clams. Raw on the half shell, baked, fried, or in chowder. Much tastier.
Best oysters I ever had were Lindisfarne oysters when I was staying in Berwick-upon-Tweed in the 90s. So fresh and delicious! But I love oysters in general: smoked, fried, baked or fresh. Lovely little treats!
When I was in Japan, in Hiroshima and some other places. They cook the oyster right on the grill in the shell. It's delicious and some of them were nearly the size of my hand which is crazy.
Please do an episode on the Delmonico’s. It has an interesting history, which is also intertwined with the history of restaurants in the US. They also have amazing recipes and iconic guests.
That’s it…as I enjoy these episodes, they remind me of something. Mention of Delmonico’s……that’s it…the Bowery Boys podcast has such nostalgia….great podcast and website…
We have a really similar dish here in South America mostly Peru and Chile, we do it with scallops, oysters, clams and locos but scallops and clams are the main ones, the hotter the over the better so you can melt and burn the cheese without cooking too much the seafood. It's awesome
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite channels. I am wondering why I only got suggested this now! Food and history with random trivia? what more could you ask!
I have read many census records from the nineteenth century. That census taker was one of the best scribes I have seen. Some of them are barely legible with such large flourishes that each line bleeds over the next.
My grandparents were born in the late 1800's and had the same caution about not eating pork in a month without an 'r' in its name. Presumably for the same reason, the lack of refrigeration on rural farms.
Thanks so much Max for another charming culinary vignette! - The month prohibition is really for any shellfish and in relation to red tides. It is a guard against domoic acid accumulation brought on by potential red tides/planktonic blooms. Since they are filter feeders they taste like and accumulate whatever is in the environment including dinoflagellate produced domoic acid and other brevetoxins which cause paralytic shellfish poisoning/shock.
Just thinking of the Oyster Bar in NYC's Grand Central Station. When my late husband and I were newlyweds and taking a day trip to NYC in 1984, we had to do things on the cheap, but eating oysters and sipping beers at the Oyster Bar was a must!
Being landlocked I've never had the pleasure of trying an oyster but your recipe has me tempted more than ever. Also it's taken me until this episode to realize that you keep putting little plushies of pokemon in the background on that little pedestal, and I commend the cheeky placement of Cloyster.
This really furthered the oyster history of NYC. Now I'm hoping you'll look into salsify, "oyster plant." Nearly impossible to find, even seasonally, where I live, but it's memorably tasty.
Max! This is also my husband's family's history! He's related to the H.C. Rowe whose building appears in one of the illustrations you used. We actually have one of Henry C.'s metal shipping containers that we use by our woodstove.
Had a friend who worked on the billion oyster project, It's not so much about reestablishing the beds for the food supply, but about how great they are at removing all the heavy metals that ended up in the bottom of the New York water ways due to the industrial revolution and the lack of clean water regulation through the mid 1900's. In fact, because of the project it's now safe for 1 adult to eat 1 bottom feeder fish out of the Hudson or East River a year!
Meanwhile, on the other coast, the 1871 North Pacific Coast Railroad seems to have been built as much to transport oysters from Tomales Bay to San Francisco as it was to move lumber. I've always been fascinated by this. They _really_ liked their oysters back then.
I was so happy to see you recommend "The Big Oyster"! When I saw this video in my feed I immediately thought of that book, it's really wonderful and full of fascinating info!
I would try baked clam fritters or other baked oyster dishes if I had that pan. Maybe individual oyster dressings for Thanksgiving. A cast iron dish with those odd pockets would be so much fun for experimentation!
Love the video! It's really making me wish I could have some too haha Oh also! My cat Chrissy absolutely loves your videos, she'll hear the introduction come on and she'll bolt from outside to cuddle with me while we watch your videos ❤
Have to say, I think I have been watching you since the start of tasting history, every single video has been a hit, I'm glad you had taken off. Your videos are fanatic and will forever watch them!.
Mark Kurlansky also wrote a phenomenal book called Cod. About the history of cod as an important protein source throughout Europe, and the huge nutritional and economic impact it had. As a side note, the native Willapa Bay oysters were some of the most prized in the 1800’s and were shipped to large cities en mass, causing their extinction. The oysters now bred in Willapa Bay are non-native (but delicious).
There is a Brilliant documentary here on YT about Cod and its impact on human civilisation, right from Hunter Gatherers to the Present day. It is under something like 'Unsung heroes of history' I thought what? A fish? But it taught me so much! Well worth a view, if you can find it.
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Congrats max! Love coffe and You! ☕☕☕❤️❤️❤️❤️
@TastingHistory Hello Max, I’ve looked through your video playlists on your RUclips channel and, I’ve noticed something: You HAVEN’T done an episode on the history of Eggs Benedict.
@@dylanbowlin3646 I have not! But it’s on my to do list.
Applaud!!
I haven't had oysters in years 😢
I work as an archaeologist in Belgium and we regularly find oyster shells in medieval and Roman sites. Even back then they were often transported dozens or even hundreds of kilometers inland. The Romans already built artificial oyster farms on the atlantic and north sea coasts because they enjoyed them so much.
How'd they manage the salt water for them? That's an impressive logistics challenge. Yeah, they could just trial and error the salt to water ratio but considering the value of salt back then I can't imagine that's how they would refill the farms. It would have been way more economical to transport sea water instead
Large oyster middens are found at archaeological sites all along the coasts of Japan, China, and SEAsia, as well.
@@dog2man1994 lmao farms are done in the sea not in a pool
@@xhogan89x LOL! Their comment also made me scratch my head. I was thinking “What’d he mean ‘salt to refill the farms?…ohhhh, he’s picturing “farm” more like “Welcome to Nero’s Mountaintop Oyster Farm!”!!
@@dfghjdefrgthxcv perhaps thinking how supermarkets today work with saltwater baths for lobsters razorfish and the like are kept alive, I doubt the romans would have bothered, besides clams, mussels, razorfish and oysters are usually kept in fresh water for a few hours so they can filter out the sand and salt before eating them, though less so oysters,
I love the duality of never having shucked an oyster but having a specific bake pan for them
I think he collects such artifacts.
@@denimadept Correct. He has acquired a variety of dishes and utensils specific to very particular foods/dishes, and I imagine that's where he gets some of the inspiration for new recipes. "Ooh, I found DISH A at an antique shop, which is specifically meant for cooking FOOD B. I should make a video about that!"
I mean, honestly, I got really excited finding a Sunbeam toaster from the 1950's at my local antique shop because it doesn't need me to press any buttons and it consistently cooks my toast exactly the way I like it, regardless of how hot the toaster is. It's actually better than any modern toaster made today.
I bet you have a similar pan if you look hard enough.
@@bobbyhill1013 Probably, since I cook just about everything.
@@bobbyhill1013 I bet a deviled egg pan would work.
Overharvesting of oysters resulted in a precipitous decline in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are filter feeders and helped to maintain the health of the bay. Maryland and Virginia have undertaken projects to restore the oyster beds; It is not an easy project.
And it just keeps getting worse
It has wrecked many places around the world.
Having lived in that area for 15 years, parts of the Bay were less clean than many southern swamps...and that's saying something. Here's hoping for a renewal.
I’ve seen a video once demonstrating how well and quickly an oyster can clean a tank of water. It was amazing.
We should definitely promote protecting oysters and other bi-valves.
Pete Seeger musician, singer, activist and environmentalist spent much of last years working to clean up and reclaim the Hudson River. They knew they were making progress when the oysters started to return.
Someone should make urban rats a delicacy.
Great video. One of the cool sounding jobs that arose from the US oyster trade was "Oyster Trainer". Once oysters started being transported inland they wanted them to stay closed & fresh for as long as possible. So the job of training oysters became a thing. Oysters would be laid on the shoreline where they would still get covered by the incoming tide. When uncovered by water someone would walk along the shore tapping the shells to encourage them to stay closed. As the "training" developed they oysters would be moved further up the shore, spending longer out of the water. This along with the tapping got them used to staying shut for longer periods. Once this was complete the oysters were ready to be sent by train packed in ice.
Sending oysters long distance isn't relatively new either. The Roman Empire loved oysters & thought the British Rutupian oyster was particularly wonderful. They shipped them from Britain to Rome (which in a straight line is about 1000 miles). Its postulated that they did this in stages with the oysters either in water filled tanks or amphora/barrels in the ship & stopping to refresh the water or lay them out in estuaries. This way they could freshen up & plump up by feeding on the plankton in the water, arriving in Rome in top condition. So good were they at sending oysters places that Apicius is said to have devised a method of packing oysters so that he could send them to Trajan while he was campaigning in the Parthian desert (115 AD).
this is one of the coolest comments I've ever read. thank you for sharing the most interesting facts and insights, they enriched the original content even more for me! :)
@@dimmingstar Thank you, that's a lovely thing to say. Though I'm standing on the shoulders of giants as Tasting History is such a good food history channel (if not the best).
I've always loved history & food & combining them makes such good sense as they've always heavily influenced each other. I also collect old recipes & cooking equipment to experiment with. It's great fun & I haven't poisoned myself yet - too badly anyway.
Such a well-written comment that I read it in Max's voice
@@phoebe5114 Thank you that's a lovely thing to say. Though I love cooking & food history I wish I had half of the talent that Max has.
That ancient Roman supply chain to get oysters out that far (presumably because he liked them so much) is amazing. And also supremely Roman!
Giving this a like purely for Cloyster grinning over Max's shoulder during the oyster episode.
Also, Max, this was a great episode. I can't forget the fact that I now know there was a restaurant in NYC called "Buttercake Dick's".
Thanks for identifying the little minion. I don't know these.
@@maeve4686Every one I've seen so far has been a Pokemon
I love looking to see which Pokemon was chosen for each episode
Thank you for covering NYC's history with oysters! I used to work on the Billion Oyster Project to repopulate oysters in New York Harbor, and I always appreciate people raising awareness about our history with that!
Who on earth wants to eat a filtration device that lives in filthy sewer water?
@@monkeygraborange Oysters themselves are quite clean, and water cleanup in New York has come immensely far. The issue was that oyster populations were being decimated at the same time as sewer was being carelessly dumped into the water. Right now, sustainable oyster repopulation is being undertaken to return it as a staple of NYC for a variety of reasons, ranging from environmental to culinary.
Was the project successful?? or will we have to wait a while to see
@@OlEgSaS32 In progress, but going very well! NYC used to host 90% of the world oyster population, so we're trying to get back to one billion, which is going to uhh take a few years lol. But we'll get there!
Go Team Oyster!
My great-great grandmother Sarah ran a boarding house in the early 1900's along the Lehigh canal. Being so close to a trade hub, she was able to put oyster stew on her usual menu, in season and at a very fair price. When the family moved further north and inland, oysters were very rare and to be looked upon suspiciously if fresh. In the 1950's, the family still missed her oyster stew, so she put in a special request with Jerry, "The Huckster," who traveled throughout the region, buying, selling and trading goods to be offered to the rural citizens. He'd take your pots to be mended, your scissors to be sharpened, and would buy your eggs and butter. His old war-wagon of a Suburban had a scale inside for weighing nails and produce, and always smelled like bananas and chewing gum. Jerry came back in a month with three quarts of home-canned oysters from "down the shore." The stew was as good as it had ever been, the family has this wonderful story to tell, and Jerry put all three of his children and all 7 of his grandchildren through college, cash on the barrel!
That’s an amazing story!
@@chadreese9501 I can take no credit, but thank you. I wish I had been wiser when I was young, and asked for more stories from my great grandparents. Those old photographs hardly show what robust lives and interesting relationships our dearly departeds had.
Any chance the recipe has been passed down?
He was a tinker! Maybe with added features, but still very tinker-ish. Punch his arm and see if he gives a damn
@@MildredCady oh, it couldn't be simpler! Sautee some celery and onion in a generous dollop of butter. Add whole milk enough to make your volume of soup, (plus some cream or half & half if you like.) Turn the heat down to low, add your desired amount of cleaned oysters plus the liquor. Heat very low and very slow to prevent scorching and overcooking. Salt and pepper to taste, and a little fresh parsley is nice. Potato and leeks are also good additions that do not compete with the delicate flavor.
Cloyster smirking while Max describes New York devouring oysters as fast as they can find them is a mood.
...Planning his brutal revenge 😈
Misty's Cloyster 😳
If you shuck a Cloyster do you get a Gastly 🤔
Or Cloyster being forced to sit there while Max recounts the mass murder of its people. Bearing a rictus grin for the camera that never reaches its eyes.
@@vonwolfe1310lmao
To add a bit of my own culture's oyster history, Korea also has its share of middens, some dating to the Neolithic Period. A midden at Dongsam-dong, Busan, Korea shows that stone age Koreans also loved oysters, along with a variety of other seafood (including sea urchins). This is an absolute amazing episode, so much history and variety of history, all with oysters in the background or forefront. You can really tell this was a passion project, keep up the great work!
Great Episode Max. As a child growing up in NYC in the 60’s, I loved eating “Oyster’s Rockefeller” which were served at many fine restaurants, and many more dive bars. When I looked up the recipe in later life, it was similar to this, but not the same. This seems more like what I remember! As a 9 year old, I once ate 5 plates of a dozen at my Grandpa’s retirement party.
He’d been Oscar de la Renta’s shop manager in the Garment District. There were all these Union/Mob guys in amazing suits who would cheerfully buy Jerry’s grandkid another plate.
Of course, none of these were “baby” sized. Just like what you made. Thanks for bringing back a good memory! I’m glad to hear they are bringing them back to NY Barbour.-Evan
I had some oysters rockefeller recently here in the bay area at a famous place in bolinas, which is around 1.5 hours north of san francisco. great way to eat them.
What a fantastic story! Thank you for sharing it.
For some reason the image of a kid gorging on Oysters Rockefeller is more wholesome than burgers or hot dogs! 😅
@@kaitlyn__L Thanks! I plan on making these now for Thanksgiving. So many good memories.
They were common in the 18th century, too--the shells of oysters coming from Baltimore were used to make the slaked lime that built the buildings here in southern Pennsylvania.
The more you know
Oysters and other easily harvested shellfish like clams and mussels have long been a staple for the poor. My best friends family were lobster fishermen and she was always embarrassed to eat lobster sandwiches at school because it was something that only the poor ate and she got teased .
Oh how the tables have turned!
How old might you be? Lobster was considered a delicacy by world war 2 . And no longer a poor person food by the depression. Just asking. 🤷♂️
@@baileywright3113 Prisoners in CT colonial prisons petitioned the powers that be not to have lobster - they settled on something like the prisons wouldn't serve lobsters on 3 days a week [it may have been more or less].
@bobbyhill1013 I'm in my mid seventy's and from Newfoundland which wasn't a part of Canada until the 1949. Lobster fishermen were making very little money from their catch, around 20. cents a lobster in the 50's.
It makes me think of a titbit about Australian history - it was a bit of luck that the initial colonial settlement in Sydney survived, as they were trying to use British farming techniques in a far different climate, and rather ignoring bushfoods. One bushfood that was very local to the colony, which likely they might have been told about by their Aboriginal advisor, Bennalong, is the Sydney Rock Oysters, which have since been considered rather gourmet seafood.
As a rookie fish monger who shucks oysters every week, you did fine opening them up
I’ll take it, thank you
@@TastingHistoryit’s in your DNA apparently, with a little practice you’ll be shucking like a pro in no time ! Sincerely, a Bostonian with a Boston stabbing knife 😉
@@dinoqueen3219 I'm unconvinced that "Boston stabbing knife" isn't also a euphemism.
@@BelgandI’m pretty sure it’s multi-use wink wink 😉
So glad to see someone else who enjoyed the book "Salt" as much as I did. What a wonderful and detailed walk through the history of something so easily overlooked in the modern age. To anyone who hasn't read it, a solid recommendation. Cheers.
Cod is equally great! For books described as Monographs they have such a wide view and he has a wonderful voice as a writer.
All of Kurlansky’s food history books are wonderful!
Regarding the oyster panic, it is interesting to note that oysters are natural water filtration systems. They feed by essentially taking water in, keeping in molecules such nutrients and/or pollutants and returning the water cleaner in the environment.
It is the reason why they are becoming popular for water restoration projects. It is also why you should be aware of the waters they are grown in, cause if they are from a heavily polluted area, they are likely to carry bacteria that can make you sick. See for example, consuming oysters growing in waters where sweage is being dumped, would be quite likely to spread cholera, since they would be contamimated with the bacteria.
My favorite thing thing about this channel is the moderate skill level instead of dealing with a refined chef that talks down to you.
The humility is appreciated!!!
What cooking channels do you watch that you feel they talk down to you? Just wondering.
I'm disrespect to cats....
I am going to respectfully disagree about Mr. Miller's skill level. He has an amazing ability to bring past dishes into the present and prepare attractive and flavourful looking dishes. Yes, he has humility AND he does not talk down to us, but I believe that is a reflection of his generosity of spirit and not his lack of cooking skills.
@@marloweirvine6740 meow?
@@OnetwothreepeanutsGordon Ramsay for one
I went to Apalachicola FL for 3 days once and went "When in Rome" mode, ate nothing but oysters. Raw with lemon or hot sauce or an oyster Benedict for breakfast. There were so many oysters harvested there in the early days, they used the shells (tabby) for construction projects. You can see them in the streets and in hotel columns, etc.
The oyster pan you baked them in could double as a sort of aebleskiver pan for those round pancakes from Denmark that I had in Solvang as a teen. I bought the pan and still make them for the grands.
Warm water oysters are a different thing entirely.
Spicy oysters sounds like a winner.
Another interesting footnote - the iconic Chinese Takeout Box we see here in the United States were originally designed to hold oysters, so they could be shucked at the store and the insides could be brought home without the shells.
I'm so glad you made a video on this! I go to college for archaeology in Gettysburg PA, and in one of our excavations we found a TON of oyster shells. It turns out that there were two oyster parlors in town during the 19th century, one of which was owned by a freed slave. He also sold ice cream lol.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in an area that had oyster beds that have been tended for generations and these lovely Pacific oysters are delicious. Can't wait to watch the story on your family Max. Our journey with you as you continue to do this thing called RUclips has been wonderful.
They couldn't get enough of oysters in the 19th century, and now in the 21st century I can't get enough of MAXIMUM MILLER💯
Hear hear
@@TastingHistoryAmén to that!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Yes me too!
Oh you are clever!! ❤
Better then Miller Lite
The Victorian dish service used to have oyster plates as part of the set. My mom always wanted me to start collecting them as she sold antiques and I was a chef. They still are a pricey piece of china. They are very interesting and beautiful. While I lived in NJ they were not uncommon, once I moved to Idaho I have never seen them. With your family history, I would be surprised if someone didn't have them. Great video.
There are “shell hills” in the south of Brazil that are very important archaeological sites, they are called sambaquis. They were also caused by the consumption of shelled animals by the indigenous peoples. Unfortunately these places are currently endangered, but are an important aspect of our history and quite ignored.
In the Southern US, a lot of historical sea towns used “Tabby” (a mixture of oyster lime, sand, water, ash, and other shells) as a building material. It’s also called oyster concrete. It’s a man made version of the coquina rock (a rare sandstone comprised of ancient shell fragments that glued themselves together over time as their calcium carbonate dissolved) the Spanish fort at St. Augustine, FL was built from. Coquina is naturally bulletproof and cannon balls would just sink into it.
When other Spanish and English settlers arrived they started using the shells and the lime from them for construction. Shells were mixed in to the exterior tabby building blocks to look pretty. I’ve even seen tabby walls set with sharp shell edges sticking up to deter people and animals from climbing over the walls.
I grew up at the beach in NC, and oyster shells were also used in decoration around cottages. Mixed into cement for sturdy patio pavers and made into homemade concrete pieces to use as edgers to edge flower beds. When coastal towns became too expensive for most people to afford a place back in the late 90s and up, those decorative elements started disappearing. Homemade became seen as cheap and something done because you couldn’t afford store bought. I miss the decor. With hurricanes and the winter Nor’Easters, everything used outside had to be very heavy and sturdy to survive.
Local fishermen were happy to give away leftover shells as it cost to truck them away and dump them. My mom talked our local fishmonger into telling us where the drop area was. So we’d go get buckets of leftover shells to decorate with. The smell was horrible, but after a bleach bath, the shells were gorgeous. My mom made some gorgeous wreaths and ornaments.
North africa also has some pretty famous mounds of seashells that date all the way back to prehistory. What older civs considered trash is often what gives us the most info on them
Yes! There are many "shellmounds" in the San Francisco Bay Area like this, from the Ohlone and other indigenous people that used to live on the coast
Hi Max, my family are big fans of your channel and I am thrilled to share that my 93 year old grandmother has passed on her 1950’s copy of the Joy of Cooking. 😃 It even has instructions for how to adjust your baking when you’re at altitude such as if you’re baking a cake in the Appalachian. 😀
Sidenote. Grandma is Hawaiian and really enjoyed your Kalua pig episode!
I hope you learn a lot about your family history! 🦪🦪🦪
How lovely to have your grandmother's copy of Joy.
I always thought of oysters as this fancy thing, to think that they used to be so accessible is pretty wild!
Lobster seems to have had a very similar history in the US? 🤔Apparently started out as a food of the poor (& rather looked down upon as such) until overharvesting made it rare & the big ones became so hard to get that this scarcity morphed them into a real high-ticket restaurant item.
they were growing up on Vancouver Island as a kid, everywhere
It was the same globally - London also had a similar oyster craze at this point in history and in Dickens' Pickwick papers a character notes '“poverty and oysters always seem to go together”.
A lot of things like that change over time as technology makes different things cheap or expensive. Highly processed and preserved foods were at first a rich people thing because it was expensive to make but then they became cheaper to make than fresh food so it switched places. Now organic and fresh food is more expensive because farms can produce much more by using pesticides and fertilizer. French fries and potato chips used to also be high class things, and very recently as well, because cutting them involved a lot of labor but then methods for mass production were invented and both instead became cheap snacks and as such associated with the working class and something rich people started avoiding.
Oyster beds still exist, but nowadays most people don't live near the coast anymore
Grandfather always made an oyster stew Christmas Eve. Milk, butter, spice - maybe onion and/or celery. Served over toasted bread. He was Swiss. Do not the origin within the family history. I have a picture of myself, in his lap at about 3 years, eating that soup. He loved that I would, at least, try any dish. Thank you! 🤗
Fun fact: oysters and stout beer used to be a very popular combination. Some stouts were even brewed with oysters (or at least oyster shells) in them!
I have had Oyster stout before myself.
@winstondeleon2350 Galway Oyster festival starts in a week or so where you can order a pint of guinness and get a few oysters free with. depending on the pub
@@jhnshep Been many a time in my younger days. Guinness, oysters & pretty Galway lassies made for a great time. 😁🦪
There's an oyster vodka from the Sealand province in the Netherlands as well
That's cool but also seems kinda dangerous 😅 oyster shells can have a lot of heavy metals in them
So the fact that many oyster saloons became brothels...is this why oysters are considered an aphrodisiac? It would make sense as I don't see why other mollusks such as clams, scallops, and mussels don't have the same connotation. Another fine episode!
...You may be on to something there...our culture is a weird one, aint it? 😅
I think it has more to do with the shape and appearance of raw oysters
They've got little chemical chains (enzymes and the like) that make people horny. SCIENCE!
I think the connection was already there and they were like welp 🤷🏻♀️ May as well open a brother upstairs 😄
You know I think you’re on to something here
I have only recently discovered this channel and i am totally hooked. This guy is a delight. It's just me and my cat, so I'm not really much of a cook. But i love history and especially how these meals bring history to life. It's time for me to binge on all his previous videos 😊 ❤ from Brisbane Australia 🇦🇺
We live on the Florida Gulf Coast. We tend to smoke our oysters on the half-shell. We forgot Oysters Rockefeller was a thing. Next weekend we are going to try this but bake them in the smoker instead of an oven! Excited to try this! 😮 ❤
I never had any idea that oysters had ever been this popular. I like the way Max backed up his defiance of the old R-rule for oysters by posting this episode in July.
don't you mean Jurly? lol
Oysters have been a staple diet of the poor for thousands of years. Romans ate them, the builders of Neolithic sites ate them. this has been proved by mounds of shells turning up at digs. They have been in and out of 'fashion' all that time. The Rich decided they liked them and forced the poor out, then they got bored, so the poor got them back, now they are a delicacy again They look disgusting to me! I read something where someone described them as like swallowing sea flavoured nasal mucus. That was me Out! I would try a cooked one, Maybe! I have eaten snails, and guess what? It is like eating a dead snail! The sauces are nice though!
Oysters have been the staple for millennia for the very poor in Europe (at least), as long as they lived near the sea.
This made we cackle. Awesome comment.
I watched a Weird History Food video yesterday and it was mentioned that they were so popular because they were cheaper than buying beef.
I can't stand oysters personally, but I love how you brought your own family's history to life. This must've been a special one for you :)
same! i can't eat oysters but i still watched the video just because he always does a great job and the history is entertaining
Oysters are a either love them or hate them...
I cannot stand the slimy nasty things
Someone suggested eating fried oysters because they are less slimy and more flavorful.....
ummm no...I tried the fried version and still hate them
try the on the bbq - it might change your mind
Ditto. Was very interesting, but I don't care for oysters. I just don't 'get' them and can't see the attractiveness in them other than there might be a pearl inside. That has happened several times. But tastewise it's just nada. 😵💫
I find them awful. They look like a rock covered in birdshit on the outside, and they look like rotten moldy chicken on the inside. Every time I've eaten one, I've bitten down a tiny bit of broken shell or sand. They smell awful, and taste gross. I like seafood but they have zero appeal for me
I'm pretty sure that Max Miller (armed with hardtack and garam) is single handedly fighting off my depression demons. I've noticed that ever since I started watching his videos 2 years ago my love of history and my love of life has flourished. 💜🖤💙
seriously this is the most refreshing comments section of any YT channel I follow. i learn stuff by reading the comments! people are nice! Max is awesome!
The history of oyster craze on the west coast of the United States is an interesting story as well. Washington State has a small native oyster called the Olympia oyster that was very nearly eaten to extinction in the 1800s when people all along the west coast wanted oysters, and tons were shipped them from Washington to California during the gold rush. Today serious efforts are trying to restore the populations of these small native oysters here in Washington, although competition with non-native oyster species brought in for farming can sometimes hamper those efforts.
The only oysters I've had were locally grown in Humboldt Bay, California, at the tail end of the Pacific Northwest. The town of Arcata, CA has an Oyster Festival (or had, I haven't been that far north since the Before Times) where different vendors compete with their oyster specialties.
I tried my first oyster at a party where an oyster tray was provided. I was strongly urged by the host to eat those damned oysters after all of the trouble he had gone through to get and prepare those little delicacies. The tray was beautifully arranged and well iced. Needless to say, I did not stop at the first one, to the host's delight. Ever since this party I have enjoyed oysters every time I have had the opportunity.
Please feel free to take my entire lifetime share of this resource.
The pan looks exactly like a Danish Æbleskiver pan. Æbleskiver are small balls of pancake batter cooked on a specific pan to achieve a texture similiar to Yorkshire pudding. Served with a fruit jam or puree, powdered sugar and sometimes whipped cream. Because Denmark.
The reputation of oysters as an aphrodisiac is more clear to me now that you've explained the origins of them being eaten primarily in brothels. The customary red lights advertised the availability of both of the delicacies that the shops were providing. Eat oysters, get...
The clap?
I think just eat oysters...
"Eat oysters get clam" 💀💀
I would think the association would be the euphemistic similarity between oysters and the female anatomy.
In the 90's it was cool to drink vodka and eat oysters. Oddly enough girls didn't think so...after the show...
I purchased Big Oyster several years ago and still have it to this day. I thought it was fascinating to see how oysters played a huge role on food history. It’s equally thrilling to have this new recipe and I can’t wait to try it 😊
Omg!! I LOVE Mark Kurlansky!! Literally my favorite nonfiction writer; I also started with Salt. I haven't read his oyster book, but I've read Milk! and Cod. I'm so happy you mentioned him because I think he's one of the reasons I've gotten so into food history (aside from reading Wikipedia articles about food repeatedly).
Also i just started watching your channel a few months ago after a random recommendation and I've been working my way through the episodes. I really love it a lot and you're very engaging, so thank you for your work, Max!
While i can’t think of any historical significance i’d love if you did a video on one of the many “hangover cure” foods. While i don’t drink that much anymore i always found it fascinating how many cultures have a dish for hangovers and i’ve seen them dating back centuries. Would be awesome to have a good story related to one.
Where there is drink there will always be someone who over indulges and those who over indulge always try to find a way to sooth the pain of their greed with whatever they can find.
Fun fact: eggs Benedict was originally a hangover cure.
@@SilvaDreamswhat a poetic way to phrase 'where there drink, there drunk and where drunk, drunk try find way to mitigate drunk'
@@nyasputin drink drunk, drunk hurt, drunk not!
nothing to do with any of this, but you might like it. Have you heard of Prairie Oysters? Supposed hangover cure. It is actually a raw egg.
When we first marred, we lived in a post Industrial place in the Black Country, England. It was euphemistically called a 'village'; but it would never make it onto one of those tourist posters that the Tourist board love selling Fake England with. Anyway, we had a pub, 'The Cottage in the Bower' Cute name for something that had been in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. but it Was old and had somehow survived. Anyway, every Sunday lunchtime a guy would arrive with a van and he would sell eggs, meat and some veg. No idea where it came from as we were a long way from any country and no one ever asked! He would go around the pub cracking a raw egg into everyone's pint, whether you wanted it or Not! I managed to avoid him by fleeing with my beer when I saw him come in. Protein, he said, hangover cure , he said. Vomit inducing I said. the sight of those eggs floating in scrumpy was enough to put you of your Sunday Roast! Lava lamps a go - go! But it wasn't far off a Prairie oyster. And some of our hardened imbibers swore by it.
Oysters are a big commodity in Louisiana, especially New Orleans. I'd love to hear the history around the NOLA original (I believe anyway) Oysters Rockefeller, or any of the Cajun and Creole dishes we take for granted down here. Gumbo especially would be a neat one, or crawfish etouffee.
Hey there from 2025. The best NOLA oyster have to be grilled oysters from Acme oyster house. Grilled with butter, topped with Parmesan and served with crispy French bread for dipping. Nom nom.
😮
Reminds me of a 1920s dish I made recently: Huîtes Musgrave's (oysters baked in shell with cheese). There also exists a modern version called Fiesta scallops - which adds chopped chili peppers and is served with Pico de Gallo.
You know... after MANY bad days at work, I find a lot of peace in your videos. Thank you for combining my two favorite things; history and food. I absolutely love this channel!!
Although I'm not a fan of oysters, the history was fascinating. And what an intriguing family history you have too! Really loved the collaboration. So many questions. You have to update us if you learn more...
That reminds me of how weird I was as a child, I wanted to try oysters really badly because of the scene in Alice in Wonderland...and in a landlocked country around Christmas my parents provided them and watched in horror as I sucked them gleefully from their shells.
Haha! Fun story! That's great! :)
Ha ha … the Walrus and the Carpenter.😂
They're kind of addictive aren't they?
@@rickwilliams967Yes. Here in the Philippines we do still have oyster bars. Come at the right time of night and they can turn into oyster brothels too.
THE TIME HAS COME!
The oyster industry of Eastern Long Island lasted for a _very_ long time after the fall of the oyster industry in the city, because of Shinneycock Bay. Shinneycock was _brackish_, which meant that oysters thrived and grew thick and heavy. But the New England Hurricane of 1938 blasted through the spit of land between the sea and the bay in Hampton Bays, and it could not be repaired. So they made it a permanent inlet, which greatly increased the salinity of the bay, and wiped out the oysters.
We still have oyster farms on Long Island. I worked on a farm last summer. Ate em right out of the water. No worries.
They grow on top of the water and waves and the wind help make them strong and big.
The history lesson on NYC oysters kinda reminds me of the oysters in Oysterville, WA, they were harvested nearly to extinction there but has sense slowly been repopulating along with an area that can't be commercially harvested, though you can go out and get like 10 a day and shuck them there on the beach youself.
Anyone who can shuck a west coast oyster that's found on the beach (they're usually huge, and there are a lot of Japanese Pacific oysters in WA now) with just an oyster knife is the real champion shucker. If you do pick up feral Pacifics, boil them in the shell for about a minute for an oyster the size of your hand, and use a mallet to drive a big screwdriver through the hinge to get them open.
FYI love all your videos but just wanted to say you are amazing and so proud of everything you've accomplished thus far. Like seriously, what an epic journey! Keep on being the amazing you that you are!!
Loving that recipe! Fortunately in the pacific northwest on Vancouver island's west coast, there are oysters and clams
It is preferable to harvest in much cooler months. I'd say my favorite oysters are homemade smoked and canned. I also enjoy them tossed in a camp fire until they pop open, add salt, lemon or lime and hot sauce
Mussels too, perfect with a little paprika and salt over a fire
My family has been in the Lowcountry, Charleston to Savannah, since the late 1700ss. My parents' Christmas Eve tradition was an oyster "stew", really a milk, cream, wee bit of four and butter soup filled with oysters. All 5 of us children watched in horror as they gleefully gobbled up those slimy oysters:) The history was such a delight and I learned so much!
Charleston is very wonderful a friend and I visited there!
I keep showing your channel off to all my friends and family, your videos are so good and we all love you! ♥️🎉🎉
Thank you!
@@TastingHistoryYou're the Best Max!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Max, I love it when you share your family history and incorporate that Family History into your Tasting History videos. Thank you so much!!
That recipe sounds so delicious! Thank you for sharing it. You really should have your own cooking show. There are few shows that have non-trained chefs that people can relate to, and you are very relatable and pleasant. I have followed you since the beginning and you have only gotten better. I love that you also have history to back up your chosen dish. History is what brought me here in the first place and you delivered. I think you are magnificent! Thank you.
You’re watching it! As legitimate a cooking show as any other :)
@@HiyuMarten A big part of it is how real he is. Many of the dishes he makes are horrible and absurd things to eat.
I once worked as a park ranger/historian at Fort Pulaski in Savannah, GA. During the Civil War, the Union soldiers posted there would often write in their diaries or letters home about all the oysters they harvested and ate. They even exchanged goods with a fort at Hilton Head using oysters as payment. While I no longer live in Georgia, smoked oysters on the grill is a big thing there in the fall! Lots of parties and festivals starring that bivalve!! 😃
The story about the season being timed by the months with the letter "R" in it made me laugh. In South Africa, there is a "rule" that "snoek" (a very popular fish here) should only be eaten in months without the letter "R" in them. Maybe something to do with us being on the opposite side of the planet.
I was always led to believe it was to do with spawning season. Plus the months without R are usually the hottest, so they would go bad very quickly. Pre refrigeration.
@hogwashmcturnip8930 Yes, but in South Africa, May to August is autumn and winter. The story is that in months with the "R" in the fish has worms in them. I have never found out if it is true, but I will not take the chance. Lol.
In Sweden we have a "rule" that peasop (made on usually yellow peas) is also only served in months with R in the name. But I guess it is the opposite in that case as the peas were usually dried, and May-August was when you could get fresh stuff.
This seems to be a very popular rule - I live in a carp-breeding region, and here you can get carp in all months with an R.
@@anndownsouth5070 Interesting.Thank you.
Max multiplied the layers of _entendres_ in explaining that the reason he exists is thanks to oysters.
(*sigh*) Went right over my head.
Oh my. 😏
So much fun watching this video after spending so much time researching your family and oyster planters in the 19th century!
My first comment, but first I want to tell you how much I enjoy your channel! I used to live on the North Carolina coast, and 20 years ago local oysters were a rarety and probably non-existent today. The oysters I bought there usualy came from Texas. When I could get local oysters it was a real treat. They were very salty and full of little pea crabs.. I remember shucking a bushel with a crab in every other one, and sometimes two or even three! I made oyster crab soup which is basically pea crabs, oyster liquor and milk, made with fatback. The little guys turn bright pink when you cook 'em. I also ate them alive with the raw oysters. What a delicacy! My comment will probably be lost anong 2,000 others, but I wanted to post it.
7:06 Instead of rice or rock salt, l used pie weights (mine are beans that l use over and over again when l pre-bake my pie shells). Worked like a charm and totally sustainable. 💖🌞🌵😷
Max being the descendant living in the Oyster Renaissance. An Oyster Cellar called ‘The Red Light’ where you dress up as a Barbershop Performer. I see a potential for a musical.
Another great video - I love you guys! As a veteran (Nova Scotian) oyster shucker, I can tell you that your shucking technique is impeccable... and I like that shucking knife. Mine is much less fancy and comes sharpened only at the tip - a common modification is to sharpen one side of the blade to facilitate the "sweep" which separates the muscle to free the top shell. And - if fortification is required prior to shucking - I (very) strongly recommend oyster shots: add a dab of Heinz chili sauce (or seafood sauce) to a shot glass, then one or two shucked oysters (depending on their size), and a shake of Tabasco. Top the glass with frozen vodka or tequila, and enjoy. After a few of those I can shuck fifty or sixty oysters in one go! Keep up the great work!
Fascinating as ever, Max! I can't get my head over how insanely popular oysters were across 19th Century society either. In London, the Oyster Card people use for the Tube takes its name from how oyster-sellers would go everywhere in the city. And in Manchester, where I'm from, one of the oldest pubs is called Sinclair's Oyster Bar
Dang, I didn't know that about the Oyster Card! Thank you for sharing that bit of info and helping me learn something.
Hi Max. I've lived in coastal Connecticut my entire 76 years. I grew up digging for clams. As good as oysters may be, personally I prefer cherry stone clams. Raw on the half shell, baked, fried, or in chowder. Much tastier.
lol, the news barker voice over never ceases to make me laugh.
Congratulations to Max for his 200th recipe video! (In the "binge every episode" playlist, anyway)
Love your channel SO much Max! No one can bring history to life in such a delicious manner like you! You rock man!🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤
Best oysters I ever had were Lindisfarne oysters when I was staying in Berwick-upon-Tweed in the 90s. So fresh and delicious! But I love oysters in general: smoked, fried, baked or fresh. Lovely little treats!
Thanks!
Such a wonderful video. I love oysters and I love history! And I'm from New York. Thank you, Max!
When I was in Japan, in Hiroshima and some other places. They cook the oyster right on the grill in the shell. It's delicious and some of them were nearly the size of my hand which is crazy.
I would love to learn more about historic Japanese and Chinese recipes! Thanks for these videos, love everything you do and your whole vibe.
I don't even like oysters but the vivid descriptions of others feasting on them just makes me want to eat them now.
Please do an episode on the Delmonico’s. It has an interesting history, which is also intertwined with the history of restaurants in the US. They also have amazing recipes and iconic guests.
Eater has a few detailed videos about the history, menus of this restaurant chain.
Honestly do an episode on Butter-Cake Dick's too.
That’s it…as I enjoy these episodes, they remind me of something.
Mention of Delmonico’s……that’s it…the Bowery Boys podcast has such nostalgia….great podcast and website…
We have a really similar dish here in South America mostly Peru and Chile, we do it with scallops, oysters, clams and locos but scallops and clams are the main ones, the hotter the over the better so you can melt and burn the cheese without cooking too much the seafood. It's awesome
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite channels. I am wondering why I only got suggested this now! Food and history with random trivia? what more could you ask!
I have read many census records from the nineteenth century. That census taker was one of the best scribes I have seen. Some of them are barely legible with such large flourishes that each line bleeds over the next.
My grandparents were born in the late 1800's and had the same caution about not eating pork in a month without an 'r' in its name. Presumably for the same reason, the lack of refrigeration on rural farms.
10:51 “What does he know? What has he done?” - my bf
Thanks so much Max for another charming culinary vignette! - The month prohibition is really for any shellfish and in relation to red tides. It is a guard against domoic acid accumulation brought on by potential red tides/planktonic blooms. Since they are filter feeders they taste like and accumulate whatever is in the environment including dinoflagellate produced domoic acid and other brevetoxins which cause paralytic shellfish poisoning/shock.
California's having a really bad domoic acid season this summer--marine mammals are getting domoic acid poisoning and a lot of them don't survive.
@@splendidcolors I'll have to check that out! I truly hope we can find a way to mitigate and understand these ever-growing hazards.
To think, instead of being a Miller, you could have been a Planter, Farmer, or Saddlerock.
Can’t wait to see your genealogy episode!
I went to school with a girl named Julia Turnipseed.
You have to admit, Max Saddlerock is kind of a badass name.
Love oysters! And I also love my new shirt from Max's store at Crowdmade. It arrived yesterday and I can't wait to "party like it be MLXVI"
Huzzah!
Love oysters every which way. Those look delicious! Going to have to watch your family history video :)
Just thinking of the Oyster Bar in NYC's Grand Central Station. When my late husband and I were newlyweds and taking a day trip to NYC in 1984, we had to do things on the cheap, but eating oysters and sipping beers at the Oyster Bar was a must!
Being landlocked I've never had the pleasure of trying an oyster but your recipe has me tempted more than ever.
Also it's taken me until this episode to realize that you keep putting little plushies of pokemon in the background on that little pedestal, and I commend the cheeky placement of Cloyster.
This really furthered the oyster history of NYC. Now I'm hoping you'll look into salsify, "oyster plant." Nearly impossible to find, even seasonally, where I live, but it's memorably tasty.
Love your channel so much!!!!
Max! This is also my husband's family's history! He's related to the H.C. Rowe whose building appears in one of the illustrations you used. We actually have one of Henry C.'s metal shipping containers that we use by our woodstove.
That’s pretty cool!
Great episode as always, Max! Thanks! (And I can also heartily recommend Kurlansky's book "The Big Oyster" - it's excellent!)
Had a friend who worked on the billion oyster project, It's not so much about reestablishing the beds for the food supply, but about how great they are at removing all the heavy metals that ended up in the bottom of the New York water ways due to the industrial revolution and the lack of clean water regulation through the mid 1900's. In fact, because of the project it's now safe for 1 adult to eat 1 bottom feeder fish out of the Hudson or East River a year!
Meanwhile, on the other coast, the 1871 North Pacific Coast Railroad seems to have been built as much to transport oysters from Tomales Bay to San Francisco as it was to move lumber. I've always been fascinated by this. They _really_ liked their oysters back then.
Remember everytime someone says something is poisonous, someone died to find out.
True story
@@TastingHistoryyep
I have a feeling it was more desperation then just boldness that brought the first person to eat an oyster.
Yes, Zog hoped it would be like fowl, but it' sNOT. (badda bing!)
I was so happy to see you recommend "The Big Oyster"! When I saw this video in my feed I immediately thought of that book, it's really wonderful and full of fascinating info!
I would try baked clam fritters or other baked oyster dishes if I had that pan. Maybe individual oyster dressings for Thanksgiving. A cast iron dish with those odd pockets would be so much fun for experimentation!
Love the video! It's really making me wish I could have some too haha
Oh also! My cat Chrissy absolutely loves your videos, she'll hear the introduction come on and she'll bolt from outside to cuddle with me while we watch your videos ❤
Love cooked oysters, so glad you did this episode, Max! Love Mark Kurlansky's books, too. Your hair looks particularly wonderful today. Cheers~
Another gourmet recipe from the ever changing menu from the 5 ⭐️ restaurant of Tasting history
Have to say, I think I have been watching you since the start of tasting history, every single video has been a hit, I'm glad you had taken off. Your videos are fanatic and will forever watch them!.
Mark Kurlansky also wrote a phenomenal book called Cod. About the history of cod as an important protein source throughout Europe, and the huge nutritional and economic impact it had.
As a side note, the native Willapa Bay oysters were some of the most prized in the 1800’s and were shipped to large cities en mass, causing their extinction. The oysters now bred in Willapa Bay are non-native (but delicious).
The Sacred Cod still hangs over the Great and General Court of Massachusetts.
There is a Brilliant documentary here on YT about Cod and its impact on human civilisation, right from Hunter Gatherers to the Present day. It is under something like 'Unsung heroes of history' I thought what? A fish? But it taught me so much! Well worth a view, if you can find it.