The largest lobster in the world. Crustaceans
Lobsters are a family of large marine decapod crustaceans.
Lobsters have very large claws, but in other respects their shape is similar to ordinary crayfish. In addition to a pair of large claws on the first pair of limbs, lobsters have much smaller claws on the second and third pair of limbs.
Lobsters have pronounced external differences between males and females. Scientifically, this is called pronounced sexual dimorphism. Male lobsters are much larger than females.
The body wall of a lobster, like all representatives of the crustacean class, is represented by two layers - the exoskeleton (an external type of skeleton, found in some types of invertebrate animals, such as shells) and the ectodermal epidermis, which forms a strong shell. A lobster's shell changes with some frequency.
Lobsters are very similar to lobsters, here is a photo of lobsters which shows that their main difference from lobsters is that they do not have claws.
Like lobsters, lobster larvae in the first stage of their development live in the water column and feed on plankton. During this period, the current can carry them a long distance from the place of birth. When the larvae grow, they take on the shape of a lobster, sink to the bottom and begin to lead a lifestyle familiar to crustaceans.
The lifespan of male lobsters is approximately 30 years, and that of females is approximately 52 years.
There is an entry in the Guinness Book of Records about the largest lobster; it was caught in Nova Scotia (Canada), its weight was 20.15 kg.
There are many types of lobsters, we will describe some of them.
The Norwegian lobster is a species of lobster that lives in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and North Seas.
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Females of this type of lobster can reach sizes of up to 20 cm, and males up to 24 cm in length can be found. However, the vast majority of Norwegian lobsters caught today only rarely exceed the size of 15 cm.
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The European lobster is a large species of lobster; the body length of representatives of this species reaches 60 centimeters and weighs up to 5-6 kg.
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The European lobster is often found off the coast of Europe, and it got its name from this fact. This species can also be found off the coast of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean, North and Baltic Seas, in the Mediterranean Sea and in the south of the Black Sea. In the Black Sea, this type of lobster is found very rarely in the Bosphorus region, off the coast of Turkey and southern Bulgaria.
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Having reached the age of 5-6 years, the female European lobster begins to reproduce. At first, she lays several thousand eggs; as she grows up, their number increases to 150,000. The female attaches the eggs to the internal limbs near the abdominal cavity. The eggs mature in 9-12 months, the period depends on the water temperature. Then larvae emerge from the eggs, but in appearance they look like small shrimp, not lobsters.
The length of the European lobster larvae is slightly more than 1 centimeter.
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The larvae of this species, like other types of lobsters, spend the first 2-3 weeks of life swimming in the water column closer to the surface, being transported by currents along with plankton, feeding on them.
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Larval survival rate is very low, with only 1 in 20,000 larvae surviving and growing into an adult lobster.
In the photo: a very rare color of the European lobster - blue.
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The American lobster, or American lobster, is one of the largest representatives of modern crustaceans.
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Representatives of this type of lobster reach a length of more than 60 centimeters and a weight of 20 kilograms. American lobster is actively caught and the species is of great commercial importance.
In Canada (Shediac, New Brunswick) they even erected a monument to the lobster:
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In the photo: a female American lobster with caviar.
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The normal coloration of the American lobster ranges from dark blue-green to greenish-brown, with redder colors on the body and claws and greener colors on the legs. This range of colors is obtained by mixing pigments of three colors: yellow, blue and red.
Due to abnormalities, lobsters are sometimes found with unusual colors: blue, yellow, orange, white or even bi-colored forms. A genetic mutation can result in overproduction of the protein responsible for the blue color. About one in 2 million lobsters are blue.
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Much rarer specimens are yellow lobsters. Only one in 30 million lobsters has this color.
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The red form of color is most likely the result of culinary preparation, although red lobsters can also be found in nature. The chance of meeting a red lobster is 1 in 10 million.
In July 2006, in the United States, a simple fisherman from Maine caught a lobster with a very unusual color: one half of it was black and the other was orange.
This combination of colors in the color of crustaceans is very rare - one chance in fifty million.
This lobster was handed over to the aquarium, whose workers reported that in 35 years of operation this was only the third such case. They also noted an interesting feature of such lobsters: all lobsters with this color were hermaphrodites.
Crustaceans include crab, shrimp, lobster, langoustine, sea truffle (aka sea duck), lobster (aka lobster) and crayfish. They are prepared in a wide variety of ways. Crustacean meat is distinguished by high protein value and relatively low calorie content. They are rich in phosphorus, iron and calcium, and contain quite a lot of vitamins B2 and PP. Meat of crabs, squid, and shrimp reduces the risk of blood clots in blood vessels; They are also useful for anemia.
Let us add that crustaceans play an important role in the ecosystem, not only the most famous crabs, lobsters, lobsters and shrimps, but also numerous small forms floating at the surface of reservoirs as part of zooplankton. Without small crustaceans that convert plant cells into easily digestible animal food, the existence of most representatives of aquatic fauna would become almost impossible.
Crab
The crab is a marine crustacean of the genus Decapoda, living in the seas, fresh waters, and less often on land.
In Russia, Kamchatka crabs weighing up to 2-3 kg, which are considered the best (often they are even called “king”), were caught back in 1837 in Russian-American settlements on the Aleutian Islands, and crab fishing off the coast of Primorye began to develop in the 70s years of the 19th century. In Soviet times, king crabs were introduced into the Barents Sea, where they multiplied so much that their constant catching became an environmental necessity.
The soft body of the crab is covered with a hard brown-reddish shell with sharp prickly spines. The food is the abdomen and limbs (claws) with greyish gelatinous meat, which after cooking becomes white, tender, fibrous and retains the unique smell of the sea.
Canned crab, which uses meat from the joints of the legs, is widely known. Tender white pieces of crab meat, freed from the shell after boiling, are placed in jars lined with parchment, the lids are rolled up and sterilized. The result is a delicious product for salads and an excellent stand-alone snack, containing iodine, phosphorus and lecithin, among other useful substances.
Boiled and frozen crabs are also sold in Ukraine, the meat of which can be fried, boiled, steamed, baked and even used for all kinds of soups.
Please note: the popular “crab sticks” in our country have nothing to do with crabs and are made from pollock or cod meat with the addition of egg whites, starch, flavorings and dyes. This is a type of so-called “surimi” (literally “formed fish”) - this is what the Japanese call dishes made from fish pulp that imitate expensive seafood. This product is much cheaper than the original and can be eaten without additional processing.
Shrimp
The shrimp is a small sea crustacean, Pandalus borealis, that lives in almost all seas of the world. Shrimp vary greatly in size: the largest are less than 20 pieces per 1 kg, and the smallest in the same kilogram can be from 100 pieces or more.
The most popular among chefs are large (and quite expensive) tiger shrimp with characteristic stripes on the shell, which are grown on farms in the Mediterranean, Malaysia, Taiwan and other countries of Southeast Asia. However, there is an even larger jumbo shrimp - up to 30 centimeters long. Small European shrimp, which are found in the Norwegian fjords and the Skaggerak Strait, are also highly prized.
The numbers you see on the packaging of shrimp are the quantity per kilogram. The most common medium shrimp in the world are labeled 90/120 (from 90 to 120 pieces per kilogram). 50/70 are very large, selected shrimp, 70/90 are large, 90+ are the smallest.
If we consider that the shelf life of processed and chilled shrimp does not exceed four days, it is clear why they often reach us frozen, and the vast majority are already boiled immediately after being caught directly on a trawler in sea water. All that remains is to slowly defrost them and heat them for 1-2 minutes in boiling water or oil in a frying pan (and for salads, you don’t even need to heat them up).
The tail of a boiled-frozen shrimp should be bent - this is evidence that it was cooked alive immediately after catching. The more the shrimp is bent, the longer it has lain before cooking and the worse the quality. The black head also indicates poor quality - this means that after catching the shrimp was not frozen for a long time.
The meat of these crustaceans is a real natural storehouse of all sorts of useful things. There is especially a lot of iodine in it, it is rich in sodium, calcium, phosphorus... - you can list almost half of the periodic table. It also contains a lot of protein, but practically no fat.
Shrimp are served cold and hot, boiled, poached, grilled and fried, baked, and used in soups. In Asia, several types of shrimp are eaten raw. And from the smallest shrimp, pre-salted and then fermented, shrimp paste is made, which is used in seasonings and sauces.
lobster
The lobster is a marine crustacean similar to a lobster, but without claws, distributed in the warm waters of the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Pacific Ocean near California and Mexico, off the coast of Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Lobster is considered the recognized leader in the menu of the most expensive restaurants in the Bahamas, Belize, the Indonesian island of Bali, Thailand and the Caribbean islands.
Lobsters are often larger than lobsters: the length of large specimens can reach 40-50 cm, and they weigh more than three kilograms. And the largest registered specimen weighed 11 kilograms and was about a meter long!
It’s easy to distinguish a lobster from a lobster: its shell is covered with numerous spines, and it has no claws, only long “whiskers”.
In lobsters, only the belly and tail (in chef’s terms, “neck”) are eaten, but if you consider that large specimens weigh up to eight kilograms, then the neck alone accounts for about a kilogram of very tender and tasty meat.
Lobsters are baked with sauce, grilled, and added to salads and soups. Lobster is especially good when stewed in port wine sauce or grilled and served with butter mixed with chopped basil.
In our country, canned or frozen lobster necks are most often sold (as a rule, the smallest specimens are used for the necks).
Langoustine (Dublin shrimp, Norwegian lobster, scampi)
Langoustine is the closest relative of the lobster, although it looks more like a lobster. This bright orange or pink crustacean lives in the northern waters of the Atlantic. The majority of langoustines on the world market are supplied by Great Britain.
The langoustine meat is in the tail (there is no point in cutting up the beautiful langoustine claws: you won’t find any meat there).
Langoustines are eaten poached in broth: dipped whole in boiling water for 5-15 seconds. The main thing is not to overcook, as they quickly digest and become rubbery. During cooking, langoustine practically does not change color.
Lobster
Lobsters live on rocky sandbanks in both warm and cold ocean waters around the world. Different types of lobster differ greatly in size and taste. Initially different in color, when cooked they all turn bright red.
Atlantic (Norwegian) lobsters are considered the most valuable - they are small in size (22 cm long), but very tasty. Much larger is the European lobster (up to 90 cm long, weight up to 10 kg), which lives in the seas washing Europe from Norway to the northwestern coast of Africa.
The American (northern or Maine) lobster, up to 1 m long and weighing up to 20 kg, is found along the Atlantic coast of North America from Labrador to North Carolina, and is also bred on special farms. It amazes with its size rather than its taste.
If during your travels to Asia you have the opportunity to try tiny lobsters from the Indian Ocean, do not neglect it - they have a very interesting, rich taste.
All types of lobsters (in Ukraine the French name is accepted, although recently the English “lobster” has also been used) have powerful claws and very tender, tasty meat. The meat is contained in the claws, legs and tail (neck), and is boiled or grilled.
Connoisseurs also highly value “tomali” - the green liver of the male; the most delicate sauces and soups are made from it. "Coral" - very delicate red caviar of a female lobster - is also considered a delicacy.
Sea duck (sea acorn, sea truffle, polycypes, persebes, balanus)
Sea ducks (polycypes, sea truffles, persebes, goose barnacles) are the most expensive crustacean in the world (more than three hundred dollars per kilogram!). This is one of the types of so-called barnacles (they are also sea acorns, sea tulips or balanuses), whose body is covered with a calcareous shell that resembles a shell. For this reason they are sometimes incorrectly called shellfish; Don't believe me - these are real crustaceans.
The size of the sea duck shell is 5-6 centimeters. With the help of a long leg extended from the shell, sea ducks firmly stick to rocks, stones or the bottoms of ships and boats, and feed on plankton.
Sea ducks are caught off the coast of Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Moreover, the extraction of barnacles is associated with considerable risk: hunters for these crustaceans during low tide descend onto slippery stones overgrown with even more slippery moss and look for colonies of barnacles hiding in crevices.
Sea ducks have juicy pinkish-white meat. Steamed right in their shell and served with seafood sauce, sea ducks taste like both an oyster and a lobster. They are also eaten raw, by tearing off the horny end and sucking out the tender core, for example, with a sauce of vinegar and olive oil. They are extremely tasty and also extremely rare and expensive, which apparently explains one of their names – “sea truffles”.
In Spanish Galicia, where sea ducks are called percebes or peus de cabra, there is even a Fiesta de Los Percebes celebrated in their honor.
Other varieties of sea acorns (barnacles, balanus) are not so well known, although some of them are also used in cooking.
The famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl wrote that during a trip to the Kon-Tiki in 1947, the raft quickly became overgrown with sea acorns. Brave travelers ate crustaceans as food.
Although barnacles irritate bathers and upset shipowners, they have attracted the attention of scientists for centuries - Charles Darwin spent more than eight years of his life studying them. Experts believe that if it were possible to find out the composition of the adhesive substance secreted by these crustaceans and synthesize a material similar to it, such glue could connect broken bones, serve as cement in dental treatment, and also satisfy another dozen or two industrial needs.
Cancer
Cancer is found in most freshwater bodies of the world (perhaps except Africa). The most common are two genera of crayfish - the European Astacus and the American Pacifastacus. And the most delicious in our country, according to tradition, are the large blue crayfish from the Armenian Lake Sevan, which live in perfectly clean water and do not have the smell of mud.
Crayfish season is spring or autumn. The meat is mainly contained in the neck (tail) of the crayfish - approximately 1/5 of its total weight, there is a little in the claws and very little in the walking legs, although connoisseurs are happy to eat both the body of the crayfish (what is under the very shell) and his caviar.
Before cooking, crayfish are sometimes kept in milk to cleanse their intestines and put them into a sleepy state. Most often, crayfish are boiled directly in the shell - they are thrown in small batches into rapidly boiling salted water with a lot of dill and spices. In a four-liter saucepan you can boil no more than 8-10 medium-sized pieces at a time. If you need to prepare crayfish soup (in France it is called “bisque”), boil the crayfish for 4-5 minutes. If you are just going to eat it “with beer,” then wait 7-8 minutes, then remove it from the heat and leave it to steep for another 10 minutes, covered or not.
Large crayfish contain more meat, but small ones are tastier, but you should not buy crayfish smaller than 10 cm - there is too little edible there, it’s just messy, and it’s simply illegal to catch such babies.
Lobster
There were times when lobsters were used to fertilize fields and as bait for fishing, but today these animals, whose meat has an amazingly delicate taste, are recognized as the best seafood delicacy in the whole world.
Lobsters (or lobsters) belong to the family of marine animals in the order of decapod crustaceans. They live on rocky continental shelves in cold and warm ocean waters throughout the planet. Lobsters are classified by type, differing in appearance and taste. The most valuable are Atlantic or Norwegian lobsters. They are small in size (up to 22 cm in length), but very tasty. European lobsters are much larger - up to 90 cm in length and weighing up to 10 kg. They live in the seas that wash the western edge of Europe from the Scandinavian Peninsula to the northwestern African coast. The next type of lobster - American (also known as Manx, or northern) - reaches a length of 1 m and weighs about 20 kg. It is bred on special farms, and in nature it lives along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean - from North Carolina to Labrador. True, the American lobster is more impressive for its size than for its taste.
These marine animals are similar in appearance to crayfish, but differ in their huge clawed limbs. The color of lobsters varies from grayish-green to green-blue. The antennae are red and the tail is fan-shaped. It contains dense meat from which medallions and escalopes are made. Males are significantly larger in size than females. Under the strong shell of the lobster there is white, tender and aromatic meat. When cooked, the lobster changes its color to red - for this it is called the “cardinal of the sea.”
Previously, lobsters were used as fertilizer for fields and as bait for fishing. Today, lobsters are considered the most exquisite and appetizing seafood delicacy. Its tender meat has the finest taste. The tail part of the lobster is considered the most valuable, and the meat contained in the legs and claws is tougher, but also very tasty. Gourmets especially appreciate “tomali”, the green liver of the animal, located under the shell of the head, and “coral” - the delicate red caviar of a female lobster.
Usually lobsters are boiled whole, no more than 7 minutes. But sometimes it is cut up by removing the tail part. Lobsters are a staple of French cuisine. Here they are stuffed with crabs or served cut into halves with sauce. Extraordinary dishes are prepared from lobster meat - croquettes, aspic, soufflé, soups, salads, mousses. Lobsters are also grilled or stewed in wine. They go well with saffron, ginger, lemongrass, curry, as well as asparagus and other seafood (mussels and shrimp).
The American lobster is a large representative of lobsters, which is valued for its excellent taste. The size of this crustacean is also impressive - today it is considered the largest lobster in the world, which is certified in the Guinness Book of Records. We will talk about how this creature lives, what it eats, and how it gets onto a person’s table in this material.
Acquaintance
The American lobster or American lobster is a decapod crustacean and is the brightest representative of the lobster family. And the point is not even that it can be gigantic or huge, but that the population is simply amazing in its diversity - such a number of mutations that cause the appearance of new characteristics in different generations cannot be found in any crustacean.
The historical homeland and main habitat of this impressive lobster is the Atlantic coast of North America. The richest catches are recorded along the coast from Canada to New Jersey. Recently, the American lobster, apparently responding to climate change on the planet, began to expand its habitat; it was caught in small quantities in Virginia and Maryland. And five years ago, a giant lobster appeared off the coast of California.
Several times, fishermen reported that they were able to catch American lobster off the coast of Sweden, Denmark and even Norway. One day, a large specimen was caught in a net off the coast of Iceland. It should be noted that they tried to breed this crustacean artificially for its valuable properties and excellent taste of meat. Back in the late 70s of the last century, enterprising Frenchmen, who adore lobsters, but who have to buy them at incredible prices, dared to do this. Breeding did not work, the idea had to be abandoned - American lobsters in France categorically refused to breed.
What does it look like?
The most common, ordinary representative of American lobsters has a length from 20 to 60 centimeters and weighs from 500 grams to 4 kilograms. But the real record holder was caught in 1977 off the Canadian coast by fishermen - the weight of the caught individual was 20 kilograms, and its length, including its claws, exceeded a meter! The unusual creature was immediately noticed and entered into the Guinness Book of Records. History is silent about what happened to him later; it is possible that he was simply eaten.
The American lobster is a big original, it can look different. The normal color ranges from bluish-green to brownish, with it being slightly redder on the lobster’s body and with a slight greenish tint on the legs. Sometimes there are blue lobsters, as well as yellow, white and even orange individuals. The most amazing is the blue lobster; it is caught on average in one case out of 2 million of its fellows.
Such diverse colors are a consequence of natural and as yet unexplained genetic mutations. In blue and cyan lobsters, the color changes due to excess protein production, and an American lobster can become red or orange due to chitin mutations.
It's not just boiled lobster that can turn red. There are individuals that are red during life. They occur, however, once per 10 million of their fellow lobsters, and yellow ones occur in one case per 30 million lobsters caught.
8 years ago, a completely white American lobster was caught in the USA. Scientists have concluded that he is simply an albino. These occur in one case per 100 million brothers.
Habitat Features
American lobsters do not travel in herds or schools. They are introverts, loners who prefer to get deep into cold water somewhere near a reliable rocky coast. Most often, the lobster lives at a depth of up to 50 meters, but there are individual lobsters that retire to a depth of up to 700 meters. In the summer, crustaceans come to the shore, and in the winter they go further away in order to cope with the winter months without unnecessary problems, worries, or storms. Lobsters are not known for their desire to travel; as a rule, they choose the same routes for migration.
The best home for an American lobster is a crack or pothole in a rock. There he sits out during the day and hunts at night. The luxurious claws given to it by nature do not leave the lobster hungry - it can always get itself mollusks and worms.
Solitary settlement is also a necessary measure, since American lobsters are quite aggressive towards their fellows. If a healthy large individual meets a similar but weaker representative of the family, especially if the second one changes its shell and is temporarily deprived of reliable protection, the strong one simply kills the weak one, and there can be no other options for the outcome of such a meeting.
In their natural habitat, American lobsters move as far away from their neighbors as possible. But if you try to breed them in captivity, then mass cannibalism will be a completely natural conclusion to this attempt.
Lobsters molt annually. While they are without a shell, they become more cautious and hide as deep as possible so as not to fall into the field of view of their relatives and other predators. If a lobster loses its claw, it is an unpleasant but not fatal loss. New claws, and at the same time other lost parts of the body, quietly grow back during the next molt.
If something disturbs the peace of the solitary American lobster, it begins to grumble. Scientists cannot yet explain these sounds with a frequency of 183 Hz and their true purpose.
How do they reproduce?
When it’s time to reproduce, females initiate the process. They emit special pheromones that not only attract males, but also calm them down and temporarily make them less angry and aggressive. This is where the entire “breadth of soul” of the representatives of the stronger sex is revealed - they fold their claws and perform graceful and very spectacular dances around the females. The period of dancing and courtship lasts until autumn.
The period of fertilization of larvae can last from one to one and a half years. The female carries the eggs under her abdomen and carefully holds them with her abdominal paws. A large female can easily carry up to 60 thousand eggs at the same time. Half of them are not destined to survive and hatch, since underwater life is full of dangers. But the second half hatches in the spring of next year, when the water begins to warm up.
To see what an American lobster looks like, watch the following video.
If you want to see the real America, run away from New York, Washington and Los Angeles. Get into a car, bus, plane, hitch a ride - but get away from the big cities.
Today I will show you the best state on the East Coast, which all Russians call incorrectly.
1 Maine is one of my three favorite states. The first time I was here was in cold winter, after a strong snowstorm, when everything was covered with fresh soft snow, and we were driving along the streets. For some reason, in the Russian translation it is called “Men,” although this is complete nonsense. The state of Maine is read and heard exactly as “Maine,” and overgrown cats of a famous breed will not allow themselves to be called incorrectly. So, with your permission, I will call the state exactly that, otherwise it’s a shame in front of Maine Coons.
2 Then I could only get to Portland, it was dangerous to go further north and there was no time, I got here anyway on summer tires, they don’t install winter tires in Washington. Now I decided to drive north all the way to the Canadian border, and in general, spend more time in the state.
3 They ask not to litter with lobsters. Interestingly, there is exactly the same inscription near the storm grate at the opposite end of the coast, in.
4 Portland is the state's largest city, but compared to others it is tiny. There is not a single skyscraper here; the entire center is built of red brick.
5 For Americans, Maine is a popular vacation and tourist destination, and many businesses are designed specifically for tourists. Just look at that cheese shop where I tasted all the varieties of cheese, but forgot to take a photo! But there is cheese even for dogs.
6 And you can buy an inflatable cat from your neighbors. I’ve been thinking about something like this for a long time; it would be something that would travel with me.
7 With a slight movement, a cat and a squirrel can be turned into unicorns! Where are animal advocates looking?!
8 90% of all American lobsters are caught off the coast of Maine. And I will not discover America if I say that here you must eat lobster. Why, many people come to Portland just for this!
9 The most famous and “popular” place is the Portland Lobster Company restaurant. It's in the very center, so you won't get lost. These guys not only cook lobsters, but also catch them. From farm to fork, as they say. Well, that is, from sea to plate.
10 And although I usually don’t recommend going to the most popular places, it’s worth coming here. Although, if you go further north, try lobster at any roadside cafes in the villages. It will be very tasty and much cheaper. There are simply fewer people getting there.
Lobster prices are never indicated on the menu, limited to the “market price” label. Indeed, the price depends on the season and the catch, but why change the menu every time? In the summer of 2017, a medium-sized lobster cost about 13-16 dollars, and a pair was sold for 30. If you are too lazy to bother, you can take a “lobster roll”, where the edible part of the sea reptile will already be separated from the inedible and placed on a fresh white bun. You will be given a plastic lobster that will start squeaking and blinking lights when your order is ready. Go to the issuing window and exchange for a real one.
11 This is what a two-lobster combo meal looks like, and it's actually for one person. We took two and ate our fill.
12 Dasha will tell you how to properly dismember arthropods in the video “Lobster Review.” It hasn't come out yet, but subscribe to my YouTube channel so as not to miss.
13 A minute of transport art. This time I traveled around America in a Toyota Rav4. I wrote a post about him (or her).
14 Maine is a provincial and peripheral state, but it’s hard to call it a “hole.” Yes, there are no megacities here, but this is where wealthy residents of New York, Washington and Boston escape from their eternal traffic jams, bustle and gas pollution.
15 It’s as if rich Muscovites en masse built themselves dachas near Murmansk and spent time there among the pines and elk. What’s remarkable is that there are no fences!
16 Elks are made from pine trees by a local craftsman. I noticed it by chance on the way.
17 Each American state has its own very clear and stable symbols. Ask any American what Florida is famous for, they will remember oranges. Louisiana? Crocodiles and jazz! Tennessee? Whiskey and country music. So Maine’s main image is the lobster. It is used everywhere possible, even printed on license plates.
18 Once upon a time I wanted to make a map of the symbols of Russia, but I lost my way after Tula gingerbread, Yakut diamonds and Kaluga broilers. We need to work in this direction. A very strong thing for the development of tourism.
19 Other coastal cities of the state are like two peas in a pod, all the same red brick.
20 New England at its finest. Very stylish.
21 We ate lobster every day. Sometimes twice, for lunch and dinner. God, it's so delicious that if you try lobster at least once in your life, you won't be able to live without it! And of course, fresh Maine lobster has nothing in common with what you will be offered in the bohemian restaurants of Europe. Don't waste your money!
22 In any roadside eatery here they are prepared in a way that no star chef can handle! This is the same lobster roll I was talking about earlier.
23 In Maine, even McDonald's has lobster on its menu! There, a roll costs only 8 dollars (versus the usual 15-17), tastes no worse (lobster meat is the same), but is slightly smaller in size.
24 How are you? Are you already fascinated? Impressed? Do you want to eat?
26 Look at the road. I'm sure it's many years old, but it looks like new. And this despite harsh winters and “zero crossings.” Oh yes, soils and the Gulf Stream, sorry...
27 Maine villages look beautiful and creepy at the same time. One night we decided to spend the night with locals, renting a room through AirBnb. I couldn’t reach the hostess; the cell phone connection didn’t work. I arrived at the address, walked around the house and came across a parking lot where a woman was standing in complete darkness. She said that the hostess had left, but the room was ready. Then she disappeared, and I didn’t even have time to ask where to go. It became creepy. There is no one around, the lights are on in the house, but no one responds. I walked around a few more times, knocking on doors and windows - silence. Then I overcame my fear, opened the door closest to the parking lot and found a room similar to the photographs that I had seen before. I felt better, but the door was immediately closed from the inside just in case.
28 When I praise America and talk about excellent infrastructure and comfort, I still mean places where many people live and travel. The further north you go, the less amenities there are. So gas stations don’t look so presentable anymore.
29 And the toilet is not so modern. But it still exists, no one will send the client into the bushes.
30 Half an hour from the border, right on the road, there is an unusual store in the shape of a huge blueberry. There are no lobsters here anymore, only blueberries and souvenirs on the same theme. Maine is also the blueberry state; 99% of all blueberries in the United States are produced here.
31 Another symbol is lighthouses. They line the entire coastline and are considered a national treasure, although many are in private hands.
32 We saw a sign on the road “Beacon Store” and couldn’t help but stop by. I was pleased with the mad seagull. I would buy it for home, but it is useless in an apartment.
33 But we bought a lighthouse. Not the same as in this photo, three times larger. These are collectible beacons, handmade 20-30 years ago by a small company that no longer exists. Lighthouses are exact scaled-down copies of those that actually exist in the state.
34 Can you imagine a whole store of lighthouses?!
35 It is kept by an elderly couple in their garage. The man knows everything about lighthouses and was very happy to chat with me, although he was embarrassed to be photographed.
36 Writing travel stories several months after a trip is difficult. Emotions are pushed into the far corner and dissolved among others. And dry facts are not what you need in travel notes. I hope you will forgive me for being a little crumpled. Next time I’ll tell you about the border between the USA and Canada and how we lived at the lighthouse.
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Oh yes, my travel partner was a hotel search service: you’ll go somewhere with them.
If at the end of the last century the title of the largest lobster in the world went to a 12-kilogram Englishman, today the American sea creature has managed to “outdo” it almost twice. True, this large lobster managed to live in the zoo for only a couple of days.
Fishermen around the world often manage to get from the depths of the sea not ordinary fish and its other inhabitants, but unique “monsters”, the weight of which exceeds all possible limits. It is they who periodically announce to the public the appearance of the largest representatives of certain types of underwater inhabitants.
If a couple of decades ago the title of “largest lobster” belonged to a lobster from England, whose weight was 12 kilograms, today it has passed to the American giant. The lobster was caught this winter. The fishermen, amazed by its size and weight, which was approximately 17 kilograms, took the find to the nearest market. There were no people willing to buy the giant, but the lobster became a real landmark of the city of Pittsburgh; crowds of curious citizens came to look at it.
Interestingly, the lobster even got a name. They named him Bubba. He lived with fishmongers for a couple of months, after which representatives of the Society for the Humane Treatment of Animals began to demand that the record holder be returned to sea water. But not only members of this organization became interested in Bubba. One of the famous American restaurants, offering its guests the most unique delicacies, offered the seller a tidy sum for a lobster. But the giant’s owner did not agree to any of the proposals and gave the lobster to the zoo.
True, this decision turned out to be fatal for Bubba. He could not survive in a special quarantine aquarium for more than a couple of days. Experts note that the whole point is in the special composition of the water, which has become unusual and destructive for the lobster.
Until now, scientists cannot come to a consensus on how old Bubba was. Considering its impressive weight and the fact that lobsters usually weigh 500 grams at 5-6 years, then this underwater inhabitant probably managed to live a whole century. Although, if the lobster was just lucky, and it ate nourishingly and plentifully all its life, then it could easily reach such an impressive weight in 40 years.
In general, this is not the first time in history that giant lobsters have died while trying to transport them to a zoo or a themed museum. The thing is that these marine inhabitants are very sensitive to the conditions around them. They may die due to a slightly increased amount of salt in the water, due to a minimal change in its temperature and other similar factors. Therefore, it is so important that before moving a lobster to a new place, you should prepare the aquarium with special care, observing all the conditions necessary for the existence of a representative of crustaceans.
Now we can wait for a new giant lobster that will be able to break the weight records set by its predecessors.
Despite the fact that the largest lobster in the world recently died in a zoo from unsuitable water in an aquarium, everyone can see this record holder in photographs that are now available in large quantities on the Internet.