Old Bay Seasoning facts for kids
Old Bay Seasoning's distinctive yellow can, with a mound of the seasoning in front
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| Brand | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Parent | McCormick & Company |
Old Bay Seasoning is a special mix of herbs and spices. It is sold in the United States by a company called McCormick & Company. This famous seasoning was first made in Baltimore, Maryland.
Old Bay is made from celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and paprika. It can also include other spices like laurel leaves, mustard, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. You can see the original list of ingredients at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. This seasoning is very popular in Maryland and other parts of the U.S., like the Mid-Atlantic States and the Gulf Coast.
Contents
The Story of Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning got its name from the Old Bay Line. This was a passenger ship line that sailed on the Chesapeake Bay. The ships traveled between Baltimore and Norfolk, Virginia, in the early 1900s.
How Old Bay Was Created
In 1939, a man named Gustav Brunn started the Baltimore Spice Company. He was an immigrant from Germany. Gustav had a business selling spices in Wertheim, Germany, before moving. Spices were hard to find after World War I, so his business did well.
However, things became difficult in Germany due to rising prejudice. Gustav was arrested by soldiers and sent to a camp. His wife paid a lot of money to a lawyer to get him released. Luckily, they already had visas for America. Gustav, his wife, and their two children were able to escape to New York City. They later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where Gustav had family.
Gustav brought only a small spice grinder with him. In Baltimore, he started his new company, the Baltimore Spice Company. He created a seasoning called "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning." This seasoning was later renamed Old Bay. It's interesting to know that the ship shown in some early Old Bay ads was the President Warfield. This ship later became famous as the Exodus.
Old Bay Today
In 1990, McCormick & Co bought the rights to the Old Bay brand. McCormick continued to sell Old Bay in its classic yellow can.
McCormick now makes many other products using the Old Bay name. These include seasoning packets for crab cakes and salmon patties. They also make tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and seafood batter mix. You can even find other Old Bay blends with garlic, lemon, brown sugar, or herbs. McCormick has also made a version of Old Bay with less salt.
In 2017, McCormick changed the packaging from metal cans to plastic containers. This change helped to lower the cost of packaging.
How People Use Old Bay
Old Bay seasoning is mostly used to season crab and shrimp. It is also used in recipes for clam chowder and oyster stew. People love to sprinkle Old Bay on many other foods too!
Old Bay on Snacks and Meals
You can find Old Bay on popcorn, salads, eggs, and fried chicken. It's also great on chicken wings, french fries, tater tots, and corn on the cob. Some people even put it on boiled peanuts, dips, and baked potatoes. You might find it on potato salad and guacamole too. Many movie theaters in the Chesapeake area offer Old Bay as a topping.
Old Bay in Popular Products
The potato chip company Utz made a "Crab Chip" using a similar spice mix. Later, Herr's Snacks copied this popular chip. Herr's chips actually use Old Bay seasoning and are sold as "Herr's Old Bay Chips." In 2018, Lay's also introduced their own Old Bay-flavored chips.
Long ago, the Subway sandwich shop used Old Bay in their seafood and crab salad. Some local Subway shops still offer Old Bay for sandwiches. The convenience store chain Sheetz also offers Old Bay in its delis. This is because they have many stores in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Old Bay in Drinks and New Products
Old Bay is sometimes used in Bloody Marys in the Chesapeake Bay area. Some bars in Baltimore sell a "Crabby Bo." This is a National Bohemian beer where the glass rim is dipped in Old Bay seasoning. In 2014, the Flying Dog brewery made an Old Bay-inspired beer called Dead Rise. This was to celebrate the seasoning's 75th birthday.
In 2020, McCormick made Old Bay Hot Sauce. It sold out in just 30 minutes when it first launched! The Old Bay website even crashed for a short time. Some people resold the bottles online for much higher prices. In 2022, the company worked with Pepperidge Farm to make Old Bay-flavored Goldfish crackers. These crackers also sold out online very quickly.
In June 2021, Old Bay teamed up with True Temper Sports. They released a lacrosse stick with an Old Bay design. Both the short and long versions of the stick sold out online.
See also
In Spanish: Old Bay Seasoning para niños
