Just like Maine, Maryland has a crustacean of their own that is worthy of high praise, the Chesapeake blue crab. This particular crab is native of the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the Gulf of Mexico all the way up to the coasts of Delaware. Unfortunately, due to climate change and the overfishing of the prized shellfish, annual catches have seen a drastic decline in numbers of blue crabs. Conservation efforts have been established in order to replenish the population of the Chesapeake blue crab, hopefully saving them from becoming yet another endangered marine animal.
With that said, that definitely says a lot about how these bad boys taste. The steamed blue crab is known widely for its sweet white meat and Maryland has perfected the cooking process of the meat by lightly steaming the whole crab and dousing it in generous amounts of piquant spice mixes such as Old Bay. These tasty crabs are usually served atop brown butcher paper with no utensils except for a mallet and cracker so, be prepared to get your hands dirty and fight for the prized crab meat.
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.