Emily Chan
There were a few reasons why lobster managed to claw its way up the culinary ladder. In the 1860s, canning became the best method for getting food rations to thousands of Civil War soldiers.
Once lobster was cooked, it turned out that it was quite easy to can. So, people from as far as California began to buy and eat Maine lobster because it was cheap, high in protein, and just something to fill their bellies.
With the rise of railroads and tourism, people who had eaten canned lobster and were not aware of its low-class status traveled to New England to try fresh lobster for the first time.
They found it to be incredibly delicious. As a result, demand for fresh lobster skyrocketed in other cities across the nation.
Since lobsters needed to be shipped live, it cost more to serve them. In just a span of about 50 years, lobster was rebranded as a rich, upper-class food. Today, Maine fishermen catch around 100 million pounds of lobster each year.
