The World for Oysters - The Transportation of Oysters in 19th-Century North America and Its Impact on Inland Foodways.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fish, Oyster, Whale: The Archaeology of Maritime Traditions", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Bivalves played an important role in the diets and foodways of 19th-century North America, spawning an international industry based along the Atlantic coast that benefited from improved transport links to the interior of the continent. A case study from nineteenth-century Upper Canada demonstrates the important role of bivalves in local foodways while also acting as an archaeological indicator of the quality of transport corridors. Fresh oysters were particularly vulnerable to spoiling and did not live long once removed from the ocean. The presence of oyster shells identifies those communities with access to markets that received fresh oyster shipments. This is particularly important for identifying the quality of travel corridors between settlements that were not directly served by canal or railway infrastructures. This case study demonstrates the limits of oyster transportation and highlights a change in foodways dependent on access to oysters.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Fish, Oyster, Whale: The Archaeology of Maritime Traditions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow