The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-17
Oysters Fifty Years Ago.

I
A paper read before the society OF
Old Brooklynites thus tells of what
used to become of oysters in 1880: In
those days oysters were roasted on a
gridiron fully two feet square; the back
part of it would rest on the back log
and the front on the fore stick, the
oysters first having been placed on it
| with their hollow sides down. The test
to ascertain when sufficiently cooked
was to press the shells together with
the tongs and Judge from the escaping
steam, knack which may readily be
acquired AS | first saw roasted oys-
tiers served up, two old-fashioned rush
bottom chairs are placed near the
hearth, one for the customer and the
other to do duty as a table. On the
latter was brown earthen pie dish to
receive the oysters, a plate of rye bread
spread, and extra butter, saltcellar
containing pepper and salt mixed, a
wooden-handled oyster knife, and a
piece of burlap, about foot square
and doubled to four thicknesses, to
protect the hand from the hot shell and
juice of the oysters. When the oysters
were placed on the dish the consumer
was left to dispose of them as best
suited his fancy The old stagers used
to select the oyster having the largest
and best shaped hollow shell, and used
that shell as a dish to eat each of the
other oysters from. In roasting over
blazing wood fire the flame would en-
velop the oysters and cook them equally
well at top and bottom. Those who
have never eaten oysters from the
shell as taken from the fire have yet
to eat their first really good roasted
oyster. Although over half century
ago, oysters were cooked in the regula-
ton stewpan, yet, until coal was in
more general use, chatting dishes were
mostly used for cooking stews, and to
this day no method has been devised
to make as good an oyster stew as can
be cooked in a chafing-dish. Consum-
ers who understand their business al
ways prefer to manipulate their stews
for themselves, after having been pro-
vided with the chafing-dish and spirit
lamp ready for lighting, the necessary
table furniture and condiments, and the
Indispensable freshly-opened oysters,
without which a good oyster stew is an
impossibility. The minimum price for
q stew was twenty-five cents. About
fifty years ago the proprietor of an
oyster house in Canal Street, New York,
got up a shilling stew and furnished
cabbage and butter. Small oysters were
used, but goodly number of them
could be found in each stew, and in the
village of Brooklyn could be found adj
vertiscd, "Oysters on the Canal Street
plan Contemporaneous with this
outburst appeared the flaming red oys-
ter advertising balloon, suspended from
pole or outrigger. and illuminated at
night. | have seen oysters in the shell
put in a pot with water and so cooked
because in that way easy access could
be had to the edible portion. This kind
of cooking.was done by the mother of
numerous little ones. Besides saving
labor for the mother, it afforded to her
progeny opportunities for easy and
agreeable lessons in oyster opening
The best fry procurable fifty years ago
was far inferior to the fry now served,
although then oysters of proper size
and quality for frying were much more
abundant than now. The oysters were
either covered with rolled cracker or a
heathenish mess was made by mixing
them with batter, and in either case
they were usually cooked in lard
Broiled oysters We're then almost unat-
tainable, and | used to hear it said that
oysters could only be properly broiled
on gridiron provided with silver bars.
- Brooklyn Eagle.