Hei....., Dear Readers! Have you ever heard of Oyster? How many of you have ever enjoy the oceanic taste of oyster? Some like it, some hate the fishy smell and taste! How about you? How Much you know about this marine property? Hate it or Like it, if you are curious about it....comtinue reading this to get know to this fabulous Oyster!
Up until the early 19th Century the native or flat oyster Ostrea edulis) was plentiful and cheap and was mainly eaten by Britain's working classes in steak and oyster pies.
Records indicate that by the 1880's some 120 million oysters were consumed annually throughout Britain and by all classes of the population. However this soon led to the near-extinction of our native species and the natural beds were further decimated by diseases brought in by foreign varieties introduced to supplement local production.
Eventually oysters became an endangered species and had to be and still are) protected by an Act of Parliament and the scarcity of supply changed the oyster into a luxury item and the general populous lost its taste for this delicacy.
With the native oyster having all but disappeared from the wild, Scottish farmers turned to the Pacific or Portuguese oyster Crassostrea Gigas) - first introduced from Portugal in 1922 into the River Blackwell, Essex. Seed is purchased from hatcheries and the tiny oysters are laid out in mesh bags that are raised up from the seabed on metal trestles. The oysters are cultivated on the seashore in inter-tidal areas and the bags are turned regularly with oyster numbers being reduced progressively to promote growth over the two to three years that it takes to reach a marketable size.
It can take up to 3 years for the Pacific Oyster to reach harvestable size and, due to a combination of modern refrigeration techniques and the fact that they do not generally breed in our cold North Atlantic waters. As a result, Scottish cultivated oysters can be consumed all year round, while the native oyster Ostrea edulis) should not be eaten during the spawning season, which normally coincides with those months without an "r".
Oysters acquire their complex flavours from the areas where they are grown. So the same species grown in different locations will have noticeable differences; with some tasting sweet, others salty, some with a mineral flavour and others with a fruity melon-like flavour. The quality of raw oysters depends on texture, degree of sweetness/salinity and mineral/marine flavour. At The Mussel Inn ® we serve Pacific Oysters Crassostrea Gigas) that are cultivated in the clear waters of areas such as the Isle of Mull. Their texture is soft and fleshy but crisp, their smell is clean and they have a strong taste of the sea.
In spite their plump and succulent looks, Pacific Oysters contain relatively little fat as the reserves that they store consist mainly of glycogen. Although rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, perhaps it is the rapid surge in energy provided by this readily available source of glucose - rather than the high zinc content - that has fuelled the oyster's reputation as an aphrodisiac. Whatever the exact explanation, oysters also have a long culinary history that dates back more than 2,000 years and provide just as much pleasure whether eaten raw, with fresh lemon or Tabasco, or grilled, pan fried, deep fried, steamed, smoked, or sautéed in honey as in Ancient Greece.
Amazing facts about Oysters
-Oysters have a three chambered heart, colourless blood and a pair of kidneys.
-The Ostrea genus of which our native oyster is a member) is bisexual. These are "protandrous alternating hermaphrodites", which means that they start off as males producing sperm then switch to egg producing females and can then switch back to being males again. Eggs produced during the female stage are held in the gills and mantle cavity and are then fertilized by sperm drawn in from the surrounding waters larviparous). The fertilized eggs are then incubated within the oyster for 7-10 days before being expelled to begin their veliger stage in the open sea.
-The Crassostrea genus of which the Pacific Oyster is a member) is intersexual. These oysters begin life as males and change to females the next season. They tend subsequently to remain as females but can revert to males if they so choose. In reproduction both eggs and sperm are released directly into the open sea where cross-fertilization takes place oviparous).
-The female oyster can release well in excess of 1 million eggs over the spawning season.
-Although all oysters can secrete pearls, the pearl oyster family Pteriidae) comes from a different family to the edible oyster. An oyster produces a pearl when a grain of sand or some other irritant becomes trapped inside. The oyster then coats it repeatedly with nacre, a combination of calcium and protein, Mother of Pearl) to reduce the irritation.
-Most people think that pearls are round and white; however natural pearls can be coloured yellow, rose or even black. Cultured pearls take 3-6 years to reach a commercial size and are produced by placing a polished piece of mussel shell inside the oyster.
-Among other families there is the tree oysters family Isognomonidae) and the thorny oyster family Spondylidae).
-Oysters are a source of vitamins A, B1 thiamine), B2 riboflavin), B3 niacin), C ascorbic acid) and D calciferol). 6 oysters would also more than meet the daily recommended intake of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorous.
-Oysters have been around for 180 million years and Neolithic man consumed vast quantities some five thousand years ago.
-The Chinese were probably the first to raise oysters artificially in ponds and to use their crushed shells in medicines.
-In 320BC Aristotle pondered their regenerative process in his "Historia Animalium". The Greeks served them in wine and used empty oyster shells as ballot papers. The word "ostracise" is derived from the Greek astrakeon oyster shell) because the Athenians used to vote with oyster shells to banish unpopular citizens.
-The Romans imported oysters by boat direct from England to Italy and Roman Emperors paid for them by their weight in gold.
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