The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell

by Mark Kurlansky

Paper Book, 2006

Status

Available

Call number

641.694

Genres

Collection

Cooking, Eating, Food, Drinks, Restaurants

Publication

Ballantine Books (2006), Edition: First Edition, 320 pages

Description

Cooking & Food. History. Nonfiction. HTML:Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants�the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled. For centuries New York was famous for its oysters, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city�s economy, gastronomy, and ecology that the abundant bivalves were Gotham�s most celebrated export, a staple food for the wealthy, the poor, and tourists alike, and the primary natural defense against pollution for the city�s congested waterways. Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight�along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos�this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the island hunting ground of the Lenape Indians to the death of the oyster beds and the rise of America�s environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan�s Gilded Age dining chambers. Kurlansky brings characters vividly to life while recounting dramatic incidents that changed the course of New York history. Here are the stories behind Peter Stuyvesant�s peg leg and Robert Fulton�s �Folly�; the oyster merchant and pioneering African American leader Thomas Downing; the birth of the business lunch at Delmonico�s; early feminist Fanny Fern, one of the highest-paid newspaper writers in the city; even �Diamond� Jim Brady, who we discover was not the gourmand of popular legend. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member zakvreeland

I like this author, journo-history on super-specific topics. He's better than the rest.

15 more

LibraryThing member GoofyOcean110

NYC's historic oyster population and includes recipes etc. An interesting tidbit and some food for thought.

LibraryThing member louisu

I had a little holiday money left on my borders card the other day so i had to find a book to take up some of the time at the end of the last month. I found this little gem of a book when i picked up one the of the latest books by one of my favorite writers, Mark Kurlanksy. This time he chose to

explore another aspect of our society that often goes unnoticed or at times unappreciated. Previous to this he had written humorous and informative accounts on Cod and Salt. Two items which i thought at the beginning of each book had little or significance. Yet how wrong i was for he created a history of each item and gives an in depth account of each items overall contribution to our society in the smallest details. I highly recommend reading them as pure nonfiction pleasure.
This books gives you a history of New York from its earliest beginnings as prime swampland settled by he Dutch early in America's history. On a side note, I think it needs to be understood that many of our greatest cities in the US have their roots, hahahah, in the swamplands of America. Chicago, DC, New York, and New Orleans were all swamps of some sort in their previous lives. It goes back to that old idea of a city a place where resources come together for commerce and trade. At the end of many waterways is a swamp where all things can travel by water, thus created a area of commerce and trade.Venice is another city founded on a swamp. In swamplands can be found a great number of resources and fauna. One such area old new york that at the time of its founding was in fact the bivalve we know and love to this day the oyster. Yet one thing needs to be made clear , this is not the oyster that we know and love today. At one point in the book it talk of oysters as large as ten to 12 inches wide. Imagine having to swallow live, slimy oyster meat bigger than the size of you hand. Of course know one did many of the oyster meat this size were used in large stews or pickled for oversees transportation.
Yet this books gives you an idea of how one item can become a resource working its way into the daily aspects of the everyday lives of early New York. Oyster shells were used at one point after being ground down to help make mortar for many homes in New York, since shells are made of lime they come in handy as a building material. A common practice was having a special stove to burn down oyster shells in the basement of the home to extract lime. Early recycling!!!!!!!!!!!There is a even a street in New York that at one point was paved with pavement made from oyster shells. The oyster when it hit its peak became one of the biggest exports to Europe at one point in our nations history. This books deals with influence of the oyster as a commodity and how it affected the cuisine, style,environment, and economic importance of the oyster. Yet unlike today where oysters have the mystique of an upper class started in high end restaurants, its true origins lie as an everyday staple for all walks of life poor and rich.
The downfall of the oyster comes of course in our societies ability to over comsume and dirty our environment. Sadly enough the oyster of New York is lost due to the fact that as a society we have destroyed the same environment that created a commodity that was essential to the everyday life and economy of this city. The oyster was essential aspect of the environment for it was a filtering system that in fact helped purify the waters of New York Harbor. As we over farmed this item and polluted the water we took away the oceans ability to sustain a healthy commodity essential to the economy and environment. Each chapter itself can stand alone dealing with different aspects of the Oyster and it impact. Overall it draws together a bigger picture of the our resources can be overused and their importance to our economy. Kurlansky is a crafty writer choosing a topic not just because it interesting , but also for its broader impact on how to look at our present day soceity.

Show Less

LibraryThing member carioca

This was my first Mark Kurlansky book and I am happy to report I wasn't disappointed. At first I was skeptical about the size of the book in relation to its subject-matter (afterall, my previous major encounter with a book on oysters was the slim and elegantly written Consider the Oyster by M. F.

K. Fisher). But indeed there are many things to consider while reviewing Manhattan's history using oysters as the parameter. Absorbing, fluid, interesting, and delectable! One drawback: I had incredible oyster cravings throughout my reading...

Show Less

LibraryThing member lindseynichols

the rather fascinating story of how oysters and new york city developed together, and how they changed the "natural" landscape of early america. kurlansky is an excellent writer; read this book and find new respect for an industrious mollusk.

LibraryThing member AsYouKnow_Bob

I read McPhee's "Oranges" at an impressionable age, so, ever since, I've been susceptible to the charms of this sort of "one-word title" specialized history. (And while (strictly speaking) this lacks a one-word title, it's close: it's a specialized history by the author of "Salt" and "Cod" that -

if it were more broadly focused , might have been called "Oyster".)

Monty Python once did a sketch called "News for Parrots": the evenings news, told from the perspective of how events affect parrots. "The Big Oyster" is in the same vein: it's the history of the city of New York, told from the perspective of its relationship with the oyster.

Interesting enough.

Show Less

LibraryThing member danawl

A history of New York city from the perspctive of the influence of the oyster.

LibraryThing member solslett

I have never had any desire to eat an oyster, but after reading Kurlansky's book, I will have to. A wonderful historical read with a strong environmental tone demonstrating man's impact on the world and the ignorance we have that what is bountiful now will always be. Kurlansky has also given me a

renewed appreciation for non-fiction and yet another throughly enjoyable read.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ratastrophe

I've been really happy with Kurlansky's writing in the past, and this was no exception - he really has a great knack for picking a seemingly small topic and expanding upon it. Even if you don't care about oysters or New York, this is a great read.

LibraryThing member repb

Another winner from Mark Kurlansky. Although it did not grip me as much as his earlier works; Cod and Salt, I still found it absolutely fascinating. You don't even have to like oysters to find this work extremely interesting and I suppose since I was born and raised in New York made it made it even

more enjoyable (and sad to see what we did to the surrounding waters). His research must be exhausting, but worth it when it's put to paper.

Show Less

LibraryThing member MiaCulpa

Who would have thought that a non-academic book would be written about the history of oysters in New York? Who would have thought that I would have read such a book? Who would have thought I would like the book?

I was drawn to “The Big Oyster” after enjoying other Kurlansky books and while it

was New York-centred and some of the references went over my head I was amazed at how the oyster; today a food for the wealthy ($18 for a dozen at my local supermarket) was once just about the most common of foods with oyster bars dotting New York streets. I was a bit disappointed Kurlansky didn’t refer to Dr W.G. Grace’s (the most famous cricketer of the nineteenth century) visit to New York with his cricket team, where he had “a dinner fit for the gods”, feasting on oysters of a size they had never seen before.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Alexiou

A well written account of the founding of NYC, and the oysters that went along with them. I enjoyed the read.

LibraryThing member addunn3

An historical look at the history of oysters, centered around New York area. An interesting look at history through a delectable food.

LibraryThing member SwitchKnitter

I've read most of Kurlansky's books, and I enjoyed the majority of them. This one was as good as Cod but not as good as Salt. It's more of a history of New York City as told from the point of view of the oyster trade and consumers. The book was engaging and enjoyable, although the state of the New

York harbor's waters at the end was depressing. Still, good book.

Show Less

LibraryThing member WellReadSoutherner

This book was incredibly fascinating to me. It wasn't a history of oysters but more of the history of New York and how the oyster impacted it. There was biology, social history, transportation history, people history, environmentalism,and more. Loved it! I will definitely read his other "food

history" books!

Show Less

LibraryThing member Karen5Lund

An excellent history of the role of oysters, oystering, food and fishing industries in the New York City area.

My one complaint is that despite frequent mentions of the Sandy Ground neighborhood of Staten Island--an early free Black community comprised largely of oystermen--it does not appear in

the index.

Show Less

Fewer