Lobster : a global history / Elisabeth Townsend.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Townsend, Elisabeth, author.

Series:

Edible .

Edible

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Food--History.

Food.

Lobsters.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (146 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2023.

Place of Publication:

London : Reaktion Books, 2012.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

From pauper's food to cultural icon, this book tells the story of our relationship with the lobster, from coastal hunter-gatherers through the Industrial Revolution to modern times. As lobsters became a status symbol for the rich, they became the subjects of both artists and writers. The lobster has been depicted in Egyptian temples and Pompeiian feasts; Dutch still lifes and Japanese woodcuts; Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Salvador Dalí's Lobster Telephone. And the social history of its consumption takes us from the Stone Age, through the early European settlers in New England and Australia, to today's Japanese live lobster sashimi. The lobster has been transformed from a peasant food into a luxurious delicacy that reflects our changing ideas about diet and human consumption. Today's consumer is concerned about the ethics of eating lobster, and controversy rages about methods of killing them. Though scientists continue to debate whether lobsters can feel pain, concerns about cruelty have led to the invention of new machines that are intended to kill them humanely. There are also efforts to farm lobsters, to re-stock the seas with juveniles and to fish them sustainably. Lobster will appeal to anyone who loves this fascinating crustacean, or who has chased a lobster across a kitchen floor.

Contents:

Introduction: What is a Lobster? 1. From Fertilizer to the Dinner Table 2. From Main Course to Mass Market 3. Lobster Takes Centre Stage 4. Lobster Controversies 5. Killing and Cooking (Humanely) 6. The Future of Lobsters Recipes Select Bibliography Websites and Associations Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613588821

9781280493591

1280493593

9781861899958

1861899955

OCLC:

775302644