National Lobster Day

National Lobster Day, observed on June 15th, celebrates lobster, a crustacean whose culinary reputation has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations in American food history. In colonial New England, lobster was so abundant that it regularly washed ashore in massive quantities after storms, and it was considered such a lowly, undesirable food, associated with poverty and used to feed prisoners, indentured servants, and livestock, that some historical accounts describe servants negotiating contracts limiting how often they could be fed lobster. Lobster's transformation into a luxury food began in the mid-19th century, driven partly by the rise of railroad transportation, which allowed the previously perishable delicacy to reach inland markets where diners unfamiliar with its lowly regional reputation embraced it as an exotic novelty, and canning technology, which similarly expanded its reach and gradually elevated its status. By the 20th century, overfishing and rising demand had significantly reduced wild lobster populations along much of the coast even as its culinary reputation soared, transforming what was once considered barely fit for human consumption into one of the most expensive and sought-after seafood delicacies, commonly served steamed or boiled with butter, in lobster rolls, or in elaborate preparations like lobster thermidor. Maine remains the dominant American lobster fishing region today, supplying the majority of the country's lobster catch.