Oysters one of life's little pleasure...

What can I say about Oysters apart plenty. Growing up near the Sea, they were readily available to us. However we were eating them for occasions and not all the time. They were one of the starters on Christmas' Eve for example but also a starter for the birthday of one of us who loved them. I can tell you now that I was one of the three Children which loved them the most so I did have them for my Birthdays with great delight.

However like Marmite, it is a case of loving them or hating them with Oysters. My little Brother disliked them from the get go because he found them too slimmy for his taste. He was not allergic to them whatsoever but if he saw them and the black line surrounding the luscious centre, which is most prized, moving, that was it. If it wasn't cutting his appetite, he waited patiently for the next course.

The popularity of Oysters is not only litterally worldwide but also it has been so throughout History and Prehistory. Archaeologists found evidence of Oysters consumption in prestoric caves by finding numerous opened shells in many sites. Oysters were also found far away from the sea side on many occasions, being eaten inland is the clear indication that either Oysters were transported by hunter gaterers during their journeys or consumed by the first agricultural communities who demanded them from the travellers which could be exchanged for something else and so on. As barter is the first signs of commerce then Oysters could have been a form of money of the time.

 Oysters were prized throughout History and Pre-History.

If this wasn't enough in the Antiquity the Romans considered them as an Aphrodisiac. That reputation still persist nowadays. Casanova in the eighteen century perpetrated that reputation by writing in his memoir that he ate lots of Oysters which he credited to arrouse his sexual appetite.

Now one could wonder about the popularity of Oysters due to the fact that the exterior of the shell is rough and looks more like a little rock stone. Another fact is that they are hard to open to get to the Meat but then when success arrive finally, not only do you have the unctuous sweet Meat of the Oyster to eat but you discover the irridescent inside of the shell which is simply Nacre. Also called Mother of Pearl, Nacre has been valued throughout the ages and numerous artefacts have been decorated with it.

 It is most certain that the value of an Oyster is not only its flesh.

You could call an Oyster a tripple Whammy because some do contain Pearls which are precious for the difficulty to obtain them. A necklace of Pearls symbolises a certain status, a certain class. The portrait of Elisabeth the first demonstrate it clearly but more recently Jackie Kennedy, the wife of the President John Kennedy was often seen wearing pearl necklaces. It wasn't only for style, it was also for the status it represented. 

Many dishes were created with Oysters as centre piece or within a larger dish. A famous one is Oyster Rockefeller which although sounding posh were created in 1889 in New Orleans due to a shortage of Escargots. 

 Oysters Rockefeller.