OYSTER
SEMINAR
Oyster
Tasting
How to up
sell oysters:
Three things
you need to know:
1. What species are
they?
There are about 20 different commercial species of
oysters. The most prevalent in the USA are Crassostrea
Virginica from the Atlantic coast, Crassostrea gigas from Japan,
Ostrea lurida the native Pacific Northwest oyster and Ostrea edulis
the European Flat oyster. This is where the big differences
are found between the oysters, similar to the different varieties
of wines. A good oyster menu will have more than one species of
oyster on it as would a good wine list have more than one type of
wine.
2. Where are they
from?
As with wines, the growing area will have a direct affect on
the flavor and appearance of an oyster. Most of the oysters found
in San Francisco are of the Japanese variety and the different
names represent the different regions or bays where they come from.
This tradition of naming the oysters by the growing area dates back
to the early 1800’s in France. Some areas produce a finer flavored
oyster than other areas depending on the environmental conditions.
Oysters from Hog Island are considered more flavorful than oysters
from Hood Canal as the growing conditions in Hog island are
superior for growing oysters. It is very important to be able
to identify the oyster growing area where your oysters are
from.
3. How are they
grown?
As with wines it is possible to influence the taste of a
wine by using technology, the same with oysters. Even within
a specific species and within a specific growing area, by changing
the way the oyster is grown will influence its appearance and
flavor. The different growing methods include beach culture
where oyster seed is raised on the bottom of the bays in the
intertidal zone, rack and bag where oyster seed is placed in
plastic mesh bags which in turn are laid out on racks that raise
the bags off the bottom and suspended culture where the oysters are
raised suspended from the surface, in deep water, far from the
influence of the bottom. Each method produces a difference
type of oyster.
How do
you describe oysters:
First, the
saltiness: Every species has different levels of salt and
every growing area will have a different influence on the amount of
salt in an oyster. Some oysters, like the Kumamoto’s are noted for
not being very salty. Japanese oysters such as the Hog
Islands, Pleasant Coves (pick a name) will be salty or not
depending on where they are from. The same with the Atlantic
oysters. Those from cold growing waters tend to be much
saltier than those from warm growing waters. (Cold water has
more salt in it.)
Second the
texture: Yes you should chew before swallowing. Oysters
depending on the species will have different textures. Japanese
oysters tend to be plump and fatty. Kumamoto’s tend to be
buttery. European and Olympia’s tend to be firm and crunchy
and the eastern oysters depending on where they are grown can be
thin and delicate to plump and fat. The big differences in
the textures are based on the variety and secondly the growing
area.
Finally, the
finish or aftertaste: This is again mostly species specific
with the added influence of the growing area. Japanese
oysters tend to have a fruity finish not unlike watermelon,
cucumber and even red bell pepper. The growing areas can make
some Japanese oysters have a rich smokey or nutty flavor as the Hog
Islands which tend to have a very rich, slightly smokey
finish.
|