Do You Like Oysters?

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An oyster is a saltwater bivalve mollusk that can be eaten either raw or cooked. The oysters that produce pearls, the pearl oysters, are an entirely different type. Any oyster can produce a pearl; but they are not as valuable as those produced in a pearl oyster. Middens (a dump for domestic waste) in New South Wales, Australia, shows evidence of oysters being used as food 10,000 years ago. They have been cultivated in Japan from at least 2,000 BC. Brewers in the UK discovered that "rich, sweet, malty stouts" were great with "briny, creamy oysters". They also found that crushed oyster shells naturally clarify a beer. In 1938 Hammerton Brewery in London started putting oyster shells in their brews. That is when oyster stout was first started. In the early 1800s in the United States, oysters were cheap and eaten mostly by the working class. Due to shortages caused by over harvesting, disease from introduced foreign species, popularity and pollution, they are now an expensive delicacy. The myth based in truth is that oysters were only safe to eat in the 'r' months. Oysters are much more likely to spoil in the warmer months of May, June, July and August. If you remember one of my past posts, about 100 people die each year after eating raw oysters infected with the bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus. Oysters can be eaten raw on the half shell, smoked, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, stewed, canned, pickled, steamed, broiled or in drinks. I would not eat a raw oyster. I would try them cooked. Do you like oysters? If you've never tried one, would you? Would you eat them raw or cooked? Photo Credit: Pixabay (raw oysters on the half shell) It posted!!!