In Search of Orange Gold: Part 5 - To the Kitchen

Over the course of this blog post series, I have undertaken a long journey that began long before there was an Old Bay seasoning, the State of Maryland, and even the United States. The journey began with the first nations and later the colonists, who introduced certain spices into the area. They used those ingredients, such as allspice and mace, to add flavor to recipes, especially ones involving the local seafood. Fast forward a century or so, and the story changes as a German immigrant and his spice grinder reach the city of Baltimore. That immigrant, Gustav Brunn, opened his spice business near a popular seafood market and eventually created the blend that would become Old Bay. I even focused on the ingredients in the Old Bay mix, pouring through books and searching the Internet to learn about each and every ingredient. I have reached the point where I must put down the books, close the research tabs on my browser, and actually go to the kitchen to apply what I have learned. In other words, it is time to actually try to make Old Bay seasoning ... from scratch.

The real stuff ...

This effort faces two hurdles, one created by Gustav Brunn and another created by myself. As to the first hurdle, as you may recall from the previous post in this series, Brunn created the Old Bay seasoning using 18 different herbs and spices. Only 15 of those ingredients have been identified with any degree of certainty. Those ingredients are: (1) allspice, (2) black pepper, (3) cloves, (4) mace, (5) mustard, (6) nutmeg, (7) paprika, (8) celery seeds, (9) salt, (10) celery salt, (11) bay leaves, (12) crushed red pepper, (13) white pepper, (14) cardamom and (15) cinnamon.

That leaves 3 mystery ingredients. In many ways, I think that is  exactly what Brunn intended. The spice business was surely competitive, with many proprietary blends and mixes. If one could come up with a popular mix, there was money to be made selling it at the markets, both to other sellers and customers. Of course, success also garners attention, especially from potential competitors. Brunn did not want others copying -- or worse, improving (if that could be done) -- his spice mix.  For that reason, he chose ingredients that people would not think of when it came to a seafood spice blend. He also held his recipe close, not ensuring that not all of its ingredients would become public knowledge. 

... up close.

Needless to say, I wanted to see if I could figure out the three remaining mystery ingredients. I pulled out my copy of The Flavor Bible. I created a chart with all fifteen ingredients on one side. I then began looking for the most compatible herbs and spices with each of those ingredients. A list of candidates began to emerge, and, it soon grew to be almost as large as the original 15 ingredients. In the end, my rudimentary analysis produced 14 possible herbs or spices that could complement the ingredients of Old Bay. These ingredients include anise, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, sage, star anise, thyme, and turmeric. 

Some of these candidates are easily disqualified. For example, turmeric was out because it turns everything into a golden yellow color. I could also rule out anise, fennel seeds, and cumin because both spices have rather unique aromatic and taste elements that usually stand out, even when mixed with other ingredients. Rosemary and sage also have a lot of volume and would be readily noticeable, even when blended together with other herbs and spices. And, there were some, like caraway and chervil, that matched only a couple of the ingredients that we already know are in Old Bay. Based on the foregoing observations, I was able to narrow the field down by more than half. 

The remaining contenders were coriander, garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme and star anise. Of these six, the top three ingredients -- meaning the three that had the strongest matches with what was already in the Old Bay blend -- were coriander, ginger and garlic. (Cumin was tied with garlic in third overall, but, as noted above, the strong aroma and taste of cumin would be noticeable, even if small amounts are used.) Each of these ingredients makes sense in its own way. Coriander has a nutty or citrusy smell, which would work with the other ingredients. Ginger seems like an ingredient that Brunn would choose because it is something that one would not necessarily think to use in a spice blend that goes on top of blue crabs. And, garlic is, well, garlic. 

Gustav Brunn's spice grinder. 

One last challenge, Brunn owned and operated a spice company. When he created Old Bay, he most likely started with whole spices, using the spice grinder that he brought with him after escaping Nazi Germany. It seems only proper that in trying to recreate Old Bay that I would use as many whole spices as possible. 

Adjustments need to be made when one goes from using ground spices to whole spices. According to Epicurious, a teaspoon of larger spices such as allspice, cumin, fennel or juniper berries will provide approximately 3/4s of a teaspoon of ground spice. Smaller spices, such as celery seed, usually provide about 1 teaspoon of ground spice for 1 teaspoon of whole spice. Still other spices - such as cardamom and coriander - have a one teaspoon of whole spices equaling 1/2 teaspoon of ground spice.  In sum, I need to figure out the proportions spice by spice. I undertook this task for each of the spices that I had in whole form. Even though I used whole spices, I have left the measurements as they should be for ground spices. I have noted the whole spices that I used with an asterisk (*).

In the end,  I prepared what I thought could be reminiscent of the Old Bay seasoning. Once I finished mixing the ingredients, I immediately noticed that I did not have the right color. I don't know how Gustav Brunn (or McCormick Foods) gets that bright orange color, but I could not recreate it in my kitchen. (The only thing I could think of - which I know is not possible - is to mix a little turmeric which the paprika hoping that the yellow and red would produce an orange color.) 

As for the taste, I think I came much closer to the real thing. The large amount of salt, along with celery salt, helped in that regard. However, I noticed more bay leaf in my mix than in the traditional Old Bay. This stronger sense of bay leaf may be because I did not grind the leaves finely enough or it may be that five leaves are too much. The next time I try to make my own Old Bay-style seasoning I will probably make some adjustments in that regard. As for the three ingredients that I added (coriander, ginger, and garlic), none of those really shone through. The reason lies with the amount used, which I kept at 1/8 of a teaspoon.

The final verdict is that, for my first effort, this was a fairly decent attempt to recreate an Old Bay-style spice mix with 18 ingredients. I will continue my work (when I have the time) to refine this recipe further.

CHEF BOLEK'S OLD BAY STYLE SEASONING

Recipe adapted from The Daring Gourmet

Ingredients:

1.      1/8 teaspoon ground allspice*
2.      1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper*
3.      1/16 teaspoon ground cloves*
4.      1/8 teaspoon ground mace
5.      1 teaspoon ground dry mustard*
6.      1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7.      2 teaspoons sweet paprika
8.      1 tablespoon celery seed
9.      3/4 tablespoon salt
10.      3/4 tablespoon celery salt
11.      5 bay leaves
12.      1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes*
13.      1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
14.      1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
15.      1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16.      1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
17.      1/8 teaspoon ground coriander*
18.      1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine all of the spices together. Store in an airtight container.

*    *    *

Now that I have attempted to make an Old Bay style seasoning, it would seem that my search has come to an end. That may not necessarily be the case. Who knows? There may be a second series where I explore the use of Old Bay as an ingredient in making dishes (as opposed to simply dumping it on crabs). Only time will tell. Until then ...

ENJOY!

In Search of Orange Gold: Part 4 - The Whole is the Sum of its Ingredients

Maryland has had a long history of spice mixes used in connection with its seafood, such as blue crabs. However, it was an immigrant, Gustav Brunn, who created the iconic mix known as Old Bay. According to Brunn's son, Ralph, that mix was "almost an accident."

At the time, Brunn was trying to establish a spice business, the Baltimore Spice Company, in downtown Baltimore. He initially sold spices to butchers and meatpackers. However, his business was ideally located for a different customer. The Baltimore Spice Company was located across the street from a historic seafood market, first known as the Center Market and later as the Fish Market. Brunn took the short walk to the market and tried to sell his spice blends to the seafood vendors. He encountered resistance, because each vendor had their own proprietary blend of spices that they used and sold with their seafood. None of the vendors were interested in a newcomer who sold only spices and not fish. While Brunn was turned away, he was not discouraged. Gustav Brunn believed that he could make a better spice blend for seafood. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brunn
Source: Jewish Museum of Maryland

As mentioned above, Gustav Brunn ultimately produced the spice mix that became known as Old Bay.  Brunn used 18 ingredients in his original recipe. Whether intentionally or not, Brunn used spices that Maryland cooks historically used to prepare seafood. These spices included: 

(1) allspice, 

(2) black pepper, 

(3) cloves, 

(4) mace, 

(5) mustard, and 

(6) nutmeg. 

Those traditional ingredients amount to only one-third of the eighteen herbs and spices that comprised the original Old Bay mix. As for the other ingredients, Brunn chose herbs and spices that, although not traditional, they would still work well with seafood. These ingredients include:

(7) paprika,

(8) celery seeds,  

(9) salt,

(10) celery salt, 

(11) bay leaves, and 

(12) crushed red pepper (or cayenne pepper).

These additional ingredients bring the total number to twelve ingredients, or two-thirds of the way to -Brunn's 18 ingredient mix. Many of the copycat recipes one could find on the Internet stop here. There is no effort to determine the identity of the remaining six ingredients used in Old Bay. 

But, stopping here is akin to quitting a half-marathon after running only 8.7 miles. In some ways, this is exactly Gustav Brunn wanted. 

As noted above, Brunn did not simply set out to create the best spice mix for seafood. He wanted to be the only person who could make that blend. Brunn did not want anyone copying what he had done; or, worse, someone who could make a better spice blend. 

To this end, Brunn chose ingredients for Old Bay that, in his estimation, would be difficult for others to identify. Herbs or spices that are neither used traditionally for seafood or obvious to the senses. Those items comprise the final six ingredients of Brunn's recipe. 

Yet, despite his best efforts, Brunn was not able to fool everyone. Some of those final ingredients have been identified over time. Despite his best efforts, some of those ingredients have been identified or revealed over time. They include:

(13) white pepper, 

(14) cinnamon, and

(15) cardamom.

The final three ingredients remain a mystery. 

This mystery continues to this day. No copycat recipe for Old Bay has more than the fifteen (15) ingredients listed above. No one has been able to identify ingredients (16), (17) and (18). Those final three ingredients are known only to those who have seen or own Brunn's Old Bay recipe. (As an aside, the current owner is the same McCormick Foods where Brunn briefly worked after coming to the United States.)  

With the history of Gustav Brunn and a good sense of the Old Bay spice mix, it is now time for me to  try my hand at making the blend. I will try to recreate Old Bay and, perhaps in the process, try to discover what may be the three remaining ingredients. Stay tuned and ...

ENJOY!

In Search of Orange Gold: Part Three - Gustav Brunn

Buchenwald, 1938. The site of what would become one of the largest Nazi concentration camps. However, at that time, the camp was just a year old, and it housed only male prisoners. One of those prisoners was Gustav Brunn. The person who created Old Bay.

Brunn was born in the town of Bastheim, Germany in 1893. Very little is known about his early years.  Most accounts pick up at age 13, when Gustav Brunn left school and entered into a tannery apprenticeship. (It was an opportunity to learn how to make leather.) He eventually started his own business, buying skins from local farmers to sell to tanneries. 

German advertisement for seasoning

After World War I, Gustav Brunn decided to enter another line of business.  He recognized that spices were in short supply in post-war Germany.  Brunn developed connections with  spice importers in the city of Hamberg and the country of Holland. With those connections, Brunn opened a wholesale spice business. He sold spices and seasonings to local businesses in Bastheim. He continued to build his spice company throughout the 1920s and the early 1930s. 

However, the story of Gustav Brunn changed in 1933. The Nazi Party, led by Adolph Hitler, seized control of Germany. The Nazis stoked anti-Semitism throughout Germany; and, as a Jew, Gustav Brunn felt the brunt of the racism. Brunn's spice business began to lose customers, as people voluntarily and involuntarily ceased buying his spices because Brunn was Jewish. In addition, his bookkeeper quit  Brunn's spice company out of fear that the Nazis would punish the bookkeeper for working with a Jew. As the hatred and intolerance grew, Brunn decided that it was time to move the family and the business.  

Gustav Brunn decided to move to Frankfurt, a very large city in the Hesse State. Frankfurt is one of Germany's larger cities, and it had a large Jewish population. As of 1933, there were over 30,000 Jews who lived in Frankfurt. Brunn believed that it would be better for him, his family and his business to live and work within that community.  

Frankfurt was not going to be the last move for the Brunn family.  Around the time the family settled in a second floor apartment in Frankfurt, Gustav Brunn laid the groundwork to get a visa. His goal was to emigrate to the United States. He contacted an uncle who lived in Baltimore and completed the paperwork. Everything was in place.  All Brunn had to do is wait.

Then came November 9, 1938, also known as the "Night of Broken Glass," or Kristallnacht.

The Nazis stoked anti-Semitic violence across Germany, including Frankfurt. The violence was even directed at the Brunn family; however, the Nazis ended up burning down the wrong house. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, the Nazis issued an edit for all Jews to turn in their firearms.  Gustav Brunn loved to hunt and he owned eight rifles. Brunn complied with the edit and reported to the nearest police station with his son. Gustav went into the station and when he came out, he told his son, "I am not allowed to leave." The Nazis detained Brunn and sent him to Buchenwald.

Jewish men arrested in the days after Kristallnacht standing for roll call
(photo from the Buchenwald concentration camp records
office and available at the U.S. Holocaust Museum)

At that time, it was still possible to "buy" someone's release from Buchenwald. There was a Jewish attorney in Frankfurt who could make the arrangements: 5,000 marks at the beginning and 5,000 marks when the prisoner was released.  The Brunn family paid that price, and, Gustav Brunn was able to leave Buchenwald.  Within one week of his release, Brunn moved his family, and his spice grinder, to Baltimore, Maryland where they settled in a small apartment located on the 2300 block of Eutaw Place.

After settling in the new world, Gustav Brunn tried to get a job. He first sought employment with a sausage maker and then with a spice company called McCormick. Brunn got a job with McCormick, but he lasted only a few days because he could not speak English. That is when Gustav Brunn decided to start his own spice company. He rented the second floor of a building located at 26 Market Place. The location was across the street from a wholesale seafood market. Brunn named his business the Baltimore Spice Company.  He began to sell spices to local Baltimore businesses, such as Attman's Delicatessen, as well as local meatpackers. 

Brunn also sought to sell spices to the local seafood wholesalers.  However, he ran into some resistance, as many of those businesses had developed their own private spice mixes.  They were neither willing to share their recipes nor try anything that Brunn had to offer.  Nevertheless, Brunn thought that he could make a better seafood seasoning than what these wholesalers used. He came up with his own spice mix and he eventually found a small crab steamer around the corner on Water Street. Brunn sold that steamer a five pound box of his new spice mix. The steamer used it and saw his business increase. Emboldened by this small success, Brunn returned to those seafood wholesalers.  He began to sell his spice mix to those wholesalers, who also saw their business increase.  

While Brunn's business began to take off, he still needed a name for his spice mix. He originally named his spice mix, "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning." One of Brunn's friends, who worked in the advertising industry, suggested that Brunn come up with a different name. The friend suggested Old Bay. It was the nickname for the Baltimore Steam Packet Company. Packet ships were used to transport people where railroads could not take them.  Given the wide bay and its numerous inlets, it was difficult for railroads to establish direct lines. The Baltimore Steam Packet Company operated steamships that took passengers from Baltimore, Maryland to Norfolk, Virginia. It had operated this service since 1860.

Thus, by the time Gustav Brunn was naming his spice mix, which was most likely in the late 1930s or early 1940s, the Baltimore Steam Packet Company -- or the Old Bay Line -- was one of the oldest operating steamship companies in the United States. It operated overnight runs, with one ship sailing south to Norfolk while another ship sailed north to Baltimore.  Guests would go to the the restaurant or saloon on the ship to enjoy a dinner of traditional Chesapeake Bay dishes. After the dinner, the guests would retire to their state rooms until the morning when they could get breakfast and arrive at their destination.  These trips continued for years, until the voyage in 1962.  The Old Bay Line ceased operations, but Gustav Brunn's Old Bay spice mix would carry on the name for years and decades to come. 

With a spice mix in hand, now known as Old Bay, Gustav Brunn had to face other issues and challenges in the coming years. Some of those challenges related to the very composition of Old Bay itself. The history of that mix is the subject of the next post. Stay tuned and until then ... 

ENJOY!

In Search of Orange Gold: Part Two - What Came Before

There is a history behind Old Bay, the iconic spice used in the preparation of steamed crabs. It began long before the iconic little tin can began to appear on store shelves or in kitchens. Some have spent time recounting that history. They have delved into cookbooks and other materials that date back as early as the beginning of the eighteenth century. Their efforts certainly provide a good starting point for discussing the history of the spice mixes that came before Old Bay. However, I think we need to go a little further back than any cookbook.

The reason lies with one simple and undeniable fact: the further back into the history of the United States generally -- or the Chesapeake region in particular -- the more likely it is that the cookbooks were written by people of European ancestry. The history of the region can be told from a far wider range of voices.  For example, the consumption of crabs, oysters, clams and other foods from the Chesapeake Bay began centuries before John Smith ever laid eyes on the region. Likewise, after Europeans colonized the bay region, they brought African slaves who performed the manual labor on plantations, including the preparation of meals. If one is truly going to discuss the history of anything, anywhere, in North America, that history needs to be more inclusive. 

The Algonquin peoples -- including the Choptank, Delaware, Matapeake, Nanticoke and Piscataway --lived along the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River for centuries before the Europeans' arrival.  These native peoples gathered fish, eels, shrimp, clams, oysters and even blue crabs. Researchers have found fragments of blue crab shells in ninety-three (93) different Native American sites, suggesting that the Native Americans relied upon the crustaceans for food.  Some of the fragments have been found at sites that date back to 1,200 B.C., which is more than three thousand (3,000) years ago. This evidence supports the conclusion that the Algonquin peoples relied on blue crabs as part of their diet. Moreover, given the fact that blue crabs were not found in Europe until relatively recently (and, as an aside are now considered an invasive species in Spanish and French waters), it is most likely that the indigenous people introduced the crustaceans to the European settlers and colonizers.

Source: Redbook

Not only would the indigenous peoples introduced the crab, but they probably passed along cooking techniques. I had a very difficult time finding information about now Native Americans prepared and ate blue crabs. At most, I found anecdotes. According to one person who descended from the Nanticoke tribe, her grandmother used to pour scalding water on the crabs (which most likely stunned them) before placing them in a pot to cook (most likely by steam). The person did not provide any further detail as to how her grandmother prepared crabs in the "Nanticoke style." 

Unable to find specific examples of how Native Americans prepared crabs, I turned to more general information.  For example, many of the herbs and spices that could be found in a modern day kitchen were brought to the new world by European settlers and traders. Native American cooks would not have had access to them when preparing crabs, prior to colonialization. Nevertheless, they had access to a range of indigenous ingredients, such as the seeds of peppergrass or Shepherd's Prune (which have a taste similar to white pepper) and dried berries from spicebushes (a substitute for allspice). Still, I was unable to find anything, such as the spices used, by Native American cooks when preparing crabs. 

As they had for centuries, Europeans brought a range of herbs and spices with them. This fact is evident from the early cookbooks, which include recipes for steamed crabs. One of the earliest written recipes for blue crabs read as follows: 

Take the meat out of the great claws being first boiled, flour and fry them and take the meat out of the body strain half if it for sauce, and the other half to fry, and mix it with grated bread, almond paste, nutmeg, salt and yolks of eggs, fry in clarified butter, begin first dipped in batter, put in a spoonful at a time; then make sauce with wine-vinegar, butter or juyce of orange, and grated nutmeg, beat up the butter thick, and put some of the meat that was strained into the sauce, warm it and put it in a clean dish, lay the meat on the sauce, slices of orange all over and run it over with beaten butter, fryed parasley, round the dish bring and the little legs round the meat.

This recipe comes from Robert May's The Accomplist Cook, which was published in 1685. There is a reference to the use of nutmeg when preparing the crabs.

One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, William Paca, had his own way to prepare crab meat:

Take out the meat and clean it from the Skin. Put it into a Stew-pan with half a pint of white wine, a little nutmeg, pepper and salt, over a slow fire, - throw in a few crumbs of bread, beat up one yolk of an egg, with a spoonful of vinegar, then shake the sauce round for a minute and serve it upon a plate.

This recipe comes from a cooking manuscript started by Miss Ann Chase in 1811. Once again, there is the use of nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Jane Howard wrote a cookbook in 1873 entitled Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen.  The cookbook included two recipes for crab stews: one with a cream sauce with mace, cayenne, salt and pepper; and, a second with mustard, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice and wine. These recipes are the first that I could find in which a variety of spices -- mace, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, mustard, cloves and allspice -- used in connection with the preparation of crabs.  It is interesting that nutmeg was not included in those recipes. 

Howard also included a recipe for "stewing" hard crabs.  This recipe reads as follows: 

Pick the crabs carefully. Season with powdered mustard, cayenne pepper, two or three cloves, a very little allspice, the yolks of two eggs and a small quantity of white flour rubbed with two large table-spoonfuls of butter; to which, if you like, add two glasses of white wine.  Mix together, and stew for quarter of an hour.

There is some overlap with other recipes, such as the use of mustard, cayenne pepper, cloves and allspice. 

Other cookbooks from the late nineteenth century - such as Mary Tyson's Queen of the Kitchen (1870) and Mrs. Charles Gibson's Maryland and Virginia Cookbook (1894) contained similar recipes for crabs. For instance, Ms. Tyson recounted a recipe for "stewing" hard crabs that, although following the similar cooking process as Jane Howard's recipe, included "two blades of mace pounded," cayenne pepper, salt, and "a little black pepper." 

All of these recipes provide the foundation for what was to come.  They show a tradition of using certain ingredients -- such as allspice, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, mace, mustard and nutmeg  -- in connection with crabs and crab meat.  All that was missing was someone to unite these ingredients into a spice mix.  The only question is who that person would be. Until next time ...

ENJOY!

In Search of Orange Gold: Part One - An Introduction

Maura Judkis of The Washington Post once referred to it as Maryland's "magical fairy dust." The mere label suggests that a sprinkle will confer magical properties upon the subject.  In this case, "[s]prinkle it on almost any seafood -- or even beer or doughnuts -- and it becomes even more delicious." Judkis adds, "[i]t is one of the infallible constants in the universe; practically science. (There is an exception though, as even this magical fairy dust can't help a McDonald's McFish sandwich.)

That magical substance is Old Bay. One cannot truly understand the love that is created for this spice mixture unless he or she has spent some time in the State of Maryland.  It does not take much,  just a few days, and perhaps less if he or she happens to be hanging around any of the local crab shacks. It is that smell, which borders on indescribable (at least in my humble opinion). It is the texture, how it gets on your fingers as you eat those crabs.  And, most of all, it is the taste. How that combination of flavors complements the sweetness of blue crab meat or shrimp. 

Indeed, polls have shown how much people who live in the Free State love Old Bay. In fact, they seem to love it more than anything else. According to one poll, Old Bay had a favorability rating among Maryland residents of 83%. That is a higher rating that Marylanders have for their governor, or, for that matter, any other politician. Marylanders love Old Bay more than they love their sports teams, as 83% far exceeds fan support for football and baseball teams in the Old Line State. Simply put, Marylanders love Old Bay more than just about anything and everything else.

(Illustration: Maximilian Franz)

My history with the spice mix is to put it, "mixed" (pun intended). I have lived in the area for more than thirty years. My first true encounter with Old Bay came while I was in college. I was elevated to the position of steam cook at a local D.C. crab house where I worked during the summers. My job was to pack and steam pots with live crabs and blanket them with Old Bay, which came in containers that had the height of a kindergartener. I also had to cook those pots. I worked long hours in that kitchen. The combination of steam, sweat and Old Bay meant that, every night after work, I reeked of the spice. It had infiltrated everything: my clothes, my shoes and even my skin.  No matter how often I washed my clothes, the smell never went away. 

For years after that job, I never really cared for Old Bay.  I also went a long time without eating crabs (partly because of my experience working in that kitchen and partly because, quite frankly, I could not afford to purchase them). As time went by, my disdain for the spice faded, forgotten as I moved on to new jobs and new adventures. 

Photo: Baltimore.org

I eventually found myself living in Maryland with my beautiful Angel.  Slowly, but surely, I was reintroduced into steamed crabs.  I was no longer cooking them, but eating them. We went to local crab houses once in a while -- never the one where I worked -- and enjoyed a dozen crabs (or a crab feast, which was the all-you-can-eat small crab experience). As a tray of those crabs were presented to the table, we would be greeted by that smell of Old Bay.  When we ate those crabs, the wet, grainy texture of the mix as it got on your fingers while eating the crabs, provided a completely different experience. I had been won over, and, I have since become a big fan of the spice mix.  I even began steaming my own crabs, using Old Bay in the same manner that I used to as a steam cook.

I am not the only person to have been won over by Old Bay.  During the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for the spice mix increased substantially. The current owner of the recipes and rights, McCormick Foods, had to cut back production of its less popular spice blends in order to keep pace with the increasing demand for Old Bay.  That demand is not just in Maryland. As the PR people at McCormick like to say, "born on the Bay, loved in the USA."

The heightened popularity of Old Bay got me to thinking about just how this spice mix originated. It did not simply appear one day on store shelves or in restaurants.  There is a history.  I wanted to explore that history, which has led me to research and write a short blog series entitled In Search of Orange Gold. As it stands, this series will cover a range of topics, beginning with what preceded Old Bay, followed by the person who created the mix and how Old Bay developed over the years and decades.  I will also explore the ingredients that go into Old Bay and how the mix is used in a variety of recipes.  Finally, I will use my best effort to recreate the spice mix based upon what I have learned (given the actual recipe is a closely guarded secret hidden somewhere in the headquarters of McCormick Foods). 

I hope that you will find these posts as interesting as I found the subject matter to be when I wrote them.  To find all of the posts in this series, you can check out my Other Projects page. Until then ...

ENJOY!