What is a lobster? It's a more complex question than you might think. There are more than 100 varieties, from the large American lobster with which we are most familiar (in the 17th century, they were known to grow to as much as 45 pounds) to the smaller Norway lobster and the spiny rock lobsters of the Caribbean and Pacific. Lobsters today are in fact very similar to the original members of their biological family, which appeared about 250 million years ago. "You can't improve upon perfection," as the saying goes.
Elisabeth Townsend's concise but rich "Lobster: A Global History" offers a journey through lobster's prehistoric and recorded history, exploring scientific, environmental and culinary matters. Nearly from the time men and women first learned to walk on two legs (lobsters have 10), we have made them part of our meals: Europeans have been eating them since the Stone Age. Ms. Townsend notes that the Pilgrims, upon landing at Cape Cod, subsisted on lobster due to its abundance compared with other staples.
Even so, they found seafood "boring," and by 1634 William Wood could write that "their plenty makes them little esteemed and seldom eaten." The recipes at the end of the book—including boiled spiny lobster from sixth-century Greece, pickled lobster from 17th-century England and lobster pie from 19th century New England—are for reading, not cooking, but they mark an important part of lobster history nevertheless.
Read the complete review from The Wall Street Journal.