History

According to archeological evidence, human beings have been eating shrimp — well, since there have been human beings. Ancient Latin had a word for shrimp — squilla — and numerous references suggest that Ancient Roman and Greek peoples were extremely fond of shrimp, preferring them to lobster and other types of crustaceans. Much of this evidence comes from a compilation of culinary writings from the 4th or 5th century AD, often attributed to the infamous food writer Apicius. The first assumed attempt at a cookbook, the culinary writings of Apicius attempted to make a formal record of the basics of classical Roman cooking. Thanks to his writings, and other culinary records that have survived, we know the Greeks liked to cook large shrimp wrapped in fig leaves, and that Romans usually roasted or fried them, and sometimes served them with a honey glaze. In early America, shrimp were most widely available from Southern waters, rather than from either coast. Canned shrimp was also extremely popular. Up to this point, shrimp recipes appeared primarily in Cajun and Creole cookbooks, probably because the availability of fresh shrimp was restricted to the South; but this changed in 1917 when the mechanical harvesting of shrimp began. Shrimp Cocktail, a staple of American cuisine, was invented around this time. The original recipes consisted of a combination of shellfish served with a mixture of ketchup, horseradish, Tabasco, and cayenne, served in tiny cups. Shrimp’s popularity has only grown since that time, and today it is the average American’s favorite seafood. The United States harvests more than 650 million pounds of shrimp a year, and imports another 200 million.