bonacker

The name traditionally refers specifically to the working class families who live in an area called Springs (located in East Hampton, NY), Many of the original Bonac families in Springs were among the very early settlers of the town, having come from England, possibly Kent or Dorchester, Dorset, in the 1600s and 1700s. The family names associated for generations with the term "Bonacker" include Miller, King, Bennett, and Lester. For some three hundred years, Bonackers made their living as baymen, fishermen, and farmers. Clams and clamming -- both hardshell and softshell -- were at the heart of Bonac culture and cuisine. Bonac specialties include clam pie, clam fritters, oysters, clam chowder (traditionally, never made with milk, but with tomatoes), bluefish, porgies, blowfish, eel, and blue crabs