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Connecticut's signature food may not be New Haven Pizza or Steamed Hamburger. And it’s certainly not Nutmeg (indeed, not a single nutmeg seed has ever been planted, much less harvested, in the Nutmeg state. But that's a tale for another time).
Actually, Connecticut’s truly indigenous dish may be the Warm Lobster Roll, a state treasure. According to the new edition of John Mariana's authoritative Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, the Connecticut Lobster Roll was likely born in 1927 at Perry's Restaurant in Milford. A customer asked owner Harry Perry to serve his lobster meat off the shell, dressed in butter, and placed in a bun. No need for a cracker, picks, or bib. As the New Haven Register tells it, the new sandwich proved to be so popular that Perry soon mounted a large sign over his restaurant that read "Home of the Lobster Roll."
Today, order a lobster roll in most of New England and you'll probably be served something quite different: a bun filled with chilled lobster salad, the crustacean mixed with mayo, celery, and various condiments. But travel along the Connecticut shoreline and your sandwich will likely be similar to Perry's original: warm lobster meat drizzled in butter and piled high in a grilled bun, either long or round.
With summer starting, CTBites embarked on such a trip - up the state’s entire coastline in search of the best Connecticut Lobster Rolls.
