The Fulton Fish Market stands out as an iconic New York institution. At
first a neighborhood retail market for many different kinds of food, it
became the nation's largest fish and seafood wholesaling center by the
late nineteenth century. Waves of immigrants worked at the Fulton Fish
Market and then introduced the rest of the city to their seafood
traditions. In popular culture, the market-celebrated by Joseph Mitchell
in The New Yorker-conjures up images of the bustling East River
waterfront, late-night fishmongering, organized crime, and a vanished
working-class New York.
This book is a lively and comprehensive history of the Fulton Fish
Market, from its founding in 1822 through its move to the Bronx in 2005.
Jonathan H. Rees explores the market's workings and significance,
tracing the transportation, retailing, and consumption of fish. He tells
the stories of the people and institutions that depended on the Fulton
Fish Market-including fishermen, retail stores, restaurants, and
chefs-and shows how the market affected what customers in New York and
around the country ate. Rees examines transformations in food
provisioning systems through the lens of a vital distribution point,
arguing that the market's wholesale dealers were innovative businessmen
who adapted to technological change in a dynamic industry. He also
explains how changes in the urban landscape and economy affected the
history of the market and the surrounding neighborhood.
Bringing together economic, technological, urban, culinary, and
environmental history, this book demonstrates how the Fulton Fish Market
shaped American cuisine, commerce, and culture.
