"If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air 
Quaint little villages here and there 
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod ."
"If you like the taste of a lobster stew 
Served by a window with an ocean view 
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod." 

I guess Patti Page said best .... the allure of
Cape Cod with it's vast expanse of beaches,
sand dunes, and "salty air" brings millions of visitors 
to our shores each year. Cape Cod seafood is world 
reknown. Shiploads of  Wellfleet Oysters were sailed
back to Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries, 
and the term "scrod" (technically catch of the day) 
was coined by a chef in a famous Boston restaurant.

Long ago, lobsters were so plentiful that Native 
Americans used them to fertilize their fields and to 
bait their hooks for fishing. In colonial times, lobsters 
were considered "poverty food." They were harvested
from tidal pools and served to children, to prisoners, 
and to indentured servants, who exchanged their 
passage to America for seven years of service to their 
sponsors. In Massachusetts, some of the servants 
finally rebelled. They had it put into their contracts 
that they would not be forced to eat lobster more 
than three times a week.

My how times have changed!! Today Lobster is 
considered a delicacy and is usually  the most 
expensive item on Cape Cod menus. The traditional 
Lobster Bake or Clambake (which includes lobster,
clams, corn on the cob, sometimes chicken and/ or 
sausage) is done by burning a wood fire down to 
coals and layering, lobster, clams, corn, etc. with 
seaweed and letting it steam until done.

History of lobstering

Live camera with a picture of Cahoon Hollow Beach

Local links of interest

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