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Oysters can now be obtained throughout the year but are usually better outside of their spawning period (when the waters are colder). HISTORYShells found on archaeological sites indicate that people were eating oysters 6,000 years ago (how did they open them without an oyster knife?). For much of recorded history they have been regarded a simple form of sustenance, punctuated by occasional periods in which they reached the status of delicacy. In Britain they shifted from stomach-filler to luxury food with the arrival of the Romans, largely disappeared from the diet after they left, before returning to favor sometime around the eight century. By Victorian times, pickled oysters were a common food of the poor in London, and in the American South in the early twentieth century the Po-Boy fuelled blue collar workers. The era of cheap oysters came to an end quite abruptly after oyster beds became exhausted due to overfishing and pollution. BIOLOGYOysters are members of the family Ostreidae and the common European oyster is named Ostrea edulis. Oysters are bivalve molluscs found near the bottom of the sea in coastal areas. The upper shell (valve) is flattish and is attached by an elastic ligament hinge to the lower, bowl-shaped shell. Oysters become sexually mature at around three years old and may switch between male and female several times during their life span. NUTRITIONOysters are high in protein and low in fat. They are rich in zinc and contain many other minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, iodine, magnesium and selenium. TIPSBUYING Size, shape and flavor vary considerably. The best from British and Irish waters are considered to be those from Colchester, Whitstable, the Helford and Galway. Natives are pricier and generally thought of as the superior oyster. Pacific or rock oysters tend to have a frillier shell and smaller, milder meat. STORING Shucked oysters can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container for four or five days. They can also be frozen (previously frozen oysters are better for cooking than eating raw). PREPARING Raw oysters are best with a squeeze of lemon and a pint of Guinness. A drop of Tabasco sauce can be added if desired. Cooking oysters can temper the salty tang and intensify the creaminess of the flavor. Grilling or poaching produce great results in many recipes (see below). OTHER STUFF"You needn't tell me that a man who doesn't love oysters and asparagus and good wines has got a soul, or a stomach either. He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed." - Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) PICK OF THE RECIPES
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main regions: Central and Northern Coastal Regions
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