8 Modern Delicacies Once Associated With Poverty
When you think of gourmet food, words like “luxurious” and “sophisticated” likely come to mind. But, believe it or not, there are many modern delicacies that, say, first-class Titanic passengers would have looked down upon either because they were so plentiful that even the regular “peasants” could afford it (yuck!) or they simply didn’t meet the discriminating standards of those wealthy railroad tycoons. Over time, due to a combination of scarcity and good old fashion marketing, attitudes began to shift so that dishes that would normally be served to convicts are now standard 5-star restaurant fare. Here’s a look at 8 foods that are highly prized now, but were once avoided if you wanted to maintain any shred of dignity.
1. Polenta
No upscale Italian restaurant would be complete without polenta on its menu. With its earthy, mild flavor, this cornmeal-based dish pairs perfectly with roasted meats and rare truffles. But for several centuries, it was associated with northern Italian peasantry, who pretty much subsisted exclusively on this stuff because wheat and meat were far beyond their budget. The problem is, these country bumpkins were unfamiliar with the sophisticated ways of the ancient Mesoamericans, who understood that if you didn’t nixtamalize the cornmeal (a process that improves its digestibility and nutritional value), you might just end up with skin lesions at best, and dementia at worst. It was best avoided if you wanted to live a halfway decent life. But starting in the 1980s, chefs discovered that if you add copious amounts of butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese, it becomes a fussy dish of the fancy class! But it would be fair to acknowledge that a used ashtray would also taste significantly better if you added those ingredients.
2. Lobster
Lobster is without a doubt the most notable example of a food that rose from trashy to classy. Once seen as the cockroach of the sea, some Massachusetts towns actually passed “cruel and unusual punishment” laws limiting how often lobster could be served to prisoners. Lobster was frequently used as fertilizer for crops or as fishing bait. But thanks to the emergence of the railway system and mastery of canning methods, people in landlocked parts of the US who were unfamiliar with lobster and had no idea that it was perceived as “low-class food” found it to be intriguing and exotic. Chefs discovered that when served drenched in butter, it tasted like luxury, and the rest is history.
3. Escargot
For centuries, the French peasantry thrived on hunger and desperation. So, it’s no shock that they saw the snails in their gardens and thought, “Yum.” They were plentiful. The preparation was simple: boil, add some herbs, and consume. They were a beneficial source of protein. And it’s not like they were going to make you chase after them. It really wasn’t until a notable French chef named Marie-Antoine Carême toyed around with the idea of stuffing the shells with butter, garlic, and parsley and then serving them to Tsar Alexander I that escargot transformed from a dish that was viewed as being on par with eating mud to being offered at the finest restaurants in Pa-ree.
4. Oysters
In the mid-1800s, oysters were ubiquitous on street corners throughout New York City and London. The urban poor, who would frequent “all you can eat” oyster cellars where they could indulge for pennies, loved oysters. There were so many discarded shells that the cities would use them as street pavement. Unfortunately, industrial pollution and overharvesting brought an end to the days of oyster abundance. Today eating oysters on the half shell is a pricey indulgence reserved for those with money to burn.
5. Bluefin Tuna
If eating lobster was synonymous with punishment, bluefin tuna was up until the 1970s regarded as pretty much unsuitable for human consumption unless you had no other recourse. In a time where lean cuts of meat were highly desirable, the high fat content of this fish worked against it. It also rotted quickly. Its most common uses were as fertilizer and cat food. But with the proliferation of international air travel coupled with flash freezing methods and a trend towards fattier meats (such as prime rib), bluefin tuna became all the rage. In an incredible turn of events, these days one of these fish can fetch more than a million dollars at auction!
6. Sushi
Back in the days before refrigerators, the ancient Japanese would preserve fish in a casing of fermented rice. The rice was so sour and pungent that it was discarded when the fish was eaten. Centuries later, street vendors began serving the fish with vinegared rice that was meant to resemble the taste of fermented rice without having to wait forever. Given its reputation as a working-class dish, no 19th-century aristocrat would have dared to touch it. However, after World War II, with the widespread use of modern refrigeration, sushi gained popularity among all social classes, including the wealthy. These days, high-end sushi can cost as much as $500, the equivalent of a monthly car payment.
7. Quinoa
In the days of the Incan Empire, quinoa was regarded as a sacred staple. When the Spanish arrived, they viewed it as a “pagan” crop that was associated with indigenous identity. Well, that simply could not stand! So they made the locals grow European wheat instead. Quinoa would have likely gone extinct if not for the indigenous farmers in the high Andes who continued to grow it for centuries. Snooty folks regarded it as no better than animal feed. But once it began to be marketed to oat milk latte-sipping, yoga-practicing American suburbanites as a “superfood,” it started flying off the shelves at Wholefoods. Sadly, the price of quinoa has gotten so high that the very farmers who grow it can no longer afford to eat it themselves.
8. Caviar
There was once a time when caviar was so abundant that it was sold by the bucketful. It was seen as nothing more than a byproduct of fishing. In other words, it was the pork rinds of its day. There was nothing prestigious about eating fish eggs. In the US, saloons served it for free since the high salt content induced customers to buy more beer, sort of like how bars today offer free popcorn. It was a combination of aristocrats endorsing caviar and reckless overfishing that has caused it to become scarce and beyond the reach of those who don’t own a yacht.