A Brief, Fascinating History of Ambergris | Hacker News Reader

A Brief, Fascinating History of Ambergris

smithsonianmag.com

38 pointspseudolus17 comments

Apropos of nothing but the title, John Singer Sargent's Fumée d'amber gris is a favorite painting of mine. At 4½ feet tall it's the kind of painting that just transports you to another place. Really captures the "allure of ambergris" the article alludes to. It's housed at the Clark in the Berkshires; definitely worth checking out in person.

[1] https://www.clarkart.edu/artpiece/detail/Fumee-d-ambre-gris-...

A small sliver of ambergris added to hot tea infuses it with a soft, delightful odor. Of course, it is difficult to acquire, but there is a very large market among the elite in the Middle East, especially the Gulf States for this purpose.

I was lucky enough to be a guest when I was served this marvelous smelling tea, and it remains a vivid memory, although 20 years old.

Memory being sharply evoked by odors is an odd thing.

It's still whale shit.

And honey is bee vomit. What possible use could this observation be? The means of a substance's production is entirely secondary to it's utility to humans in terms of how folks value it.

Sure.... and we have bread and alcoholic beverages because yeast excrete carbon dioxide and alcohol.

I suppose that makes mead a combination of bee vomit and yeast poop, but it's quite tasty nonetheless.

I've thought about this much lately.

oh boy, wait till you see where milk comes from :^)

The first time I read about ambergris was in Encyclopedia Brown. I didn’t believe it was real, that perfume was made from whale vomit, until I looked it up at the library. It’s one of those things that you remember for the rest of your life.

The truly weird thing is that it's not even the only vaguely similar ingredient used in perfumes.

Hyraceum is made from petrified hyrax droppings, while civet oil, musk, and castoreum come from the anal glands of civets, deer, and beavers respectively.

I had the exact same experience.

This line in the story struck me: "visitors to the kinds of cocktail bars found hidden behind bookcases" Anyone been to any of these upscale clubs? Are there literary references to such places, or is it mainly fictional imagination?

There are at least two that I can think of in SF. Bourbon and Branch has bookcases inside bookcases, and The Grid was hidden behind an arcade machine.

Thanks! Were these special "Invite only" clubs?

The Grid was by reservation. Bourbon and Branch is still open (or was before COVID). It has a whole song and dance routine to get into its special rooms [1]. I've only been to the "regular" bar.

[1] https://www.thrillist.com/drink/san-francisco/the-tenderloin...

There are several in Manhattan as well; they are "secret" only to the degree that they can attract enough business yet have an aura of exclusivity. Like a "premium" credit card.

“Like magic, the allure of ambergris lies in what cannot be explained.”

I think this sums it up well. It’s fascinating to see this attraction to mystery materializing like this, and the ecosystem that it’s created throughout centuries. Great read.

The first and only time I ever heard of Ambergris (until now) was on Futurama. "Precious hamburgers?" lol

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