Old Bay Seasoning

Old Bay Seasoning's distinctive yellow can.

Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is currently marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and produced in Maryland. It is produced in the Chesapeake Bay area where it was developed by German immigrant Gustav Brunn in the 1940s, and where the seasoning is very popular to this day. At that time, crabs were so plentiful that bars in Baltimore, Maryland, offered them free^{[citation needed]} and seasonings like Old Bay were created to encourage patrons to purchase more beverages. Old Bay is just one of many crab seasonings created during that era, yet it is one of only a few that survived. Notable others are J.O. Spice and Baltimore Spice. McCormick recently has offered a lower sodium version of Old Bay Seasoning.

Old Bay Seasoning is named after the Old Bay Line, a passenger ship line that plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia, in the early 1900s. Gustav Brunn’s company became the Old Bay Company, producing crab seasonings in the unique yellow can container until the company was purchased by McCormick & Co in 1990.^[1] McCormick continues to offer Old Bay in the classic yellow can.

The seasoning mix includes mustard, paprika, celery seed, bay leaf, both black and red pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, mace and ginger.^[2] It is regionally popular, specifically in Southern States and parts of the Gulf Coast. Due to the strong presence of the United States Navy in Maryland and Virginia, it is a common fixture in galleys onboard Navy ships. It is chiefly used to season crab and shrimp.

Old Bay is also now available in a standardized foodservice package but retains its distinctive yellow label

In addition to flavoring seafood, the seasoning is often used as a topping on popcorn, salads, eggs, fried chicken, french fries, tater tots, corn on the cob, and potato chips. Several movie theaters in the Chesapeake region actually offer it in the condiment section. Potato chip manufacturer Utz created the original "Crab Chip" based on an analogue spice mix. The popular potato chip variety was later copied and marketed by Herr’s (however, Herr's uses the Old Bay seasoning and it is sold as "Herr's Old Bay Chips"). Early in its history, the Subway sandwich shop used Old Bay when mixing their seafood and crab salad. Many local Subway shops in the Baltimore region still have Old Bay for use on sandwiches.^{[citation needed]} Old Bay is also occasionally used around the Chesapeake Bay region as an ingredient in Bloody Marys.

McCormick has a number of other products under the Old Bay banner, including seasoning packets for crab cakes, salmon patties and tuna, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and seafood batter mix. They also make other seasoning blends that mix Old Bay seasoning with garlic, lemon, herbs and blackened seasonings.

References

1. ^ "McCormick adds Old Bay products to its spice rack". The Baltimore Sun. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-01/business/1990305197_1_mccormick-spice-hanson. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
2. ^ List of ingredients provided at: http://www.oldbay.com/Products/Old-Bay-Seasoning.aspx

External links

• Old Bay Seasoning - official web site, including history