Here is some info were Old Bay seasoning came from Enjoy Dennis
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 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 is one of a few that survived. Notable others are
J.O. Spice and
Baltimore Spice. McCormick recently has offered a lower salt 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 around 1990. 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 and
ginger[1] . It is regionally popular, specifically in
Southern States and parts of the
Gulf Coast. It is chiefly used to season
crab and
shrimp.
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 it should be noted that Herr's uses the Old Bay seasoning and is sold as "Herr's Old Bay Chips"). Early in its history, the
Subway sandwich shop used to use 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
