Once you enter the oyster gate, it is as deep as the sea, and from then on it is silly and indistinguishable
Oysters, also known as oysters, are a collective term for the bivalve oyster family Oyster family, some of whose members are edible, usually from the genus Ostrea and the genus Crassostrea. There are many types of oysters, of which there are about 20 kinds of oysters with commercial value, although they have different forms, but the shape of oysters will change according to their growth space, it is very difficult to identify the type of oysters, and even the classification itself Has some controversy, plus as many brands and complex origins as wine, can only sigh, a oyster door as deep as the sea. Under strong pressure from the calendar lady, sharks crawl out of deep pits to share several common oysters:
The Asian oyster (Crassostrea gigas), also known as the Pacific oyster, is today's protagonist. The English common name Pacific oyster, the original Latin meaning of the scientific name is "thick and huge oyster", so it is the largest of the oysters, and it is also the oyster species that we come into contact with every day. Native to the Pacific coast of Asia, it was introduced and bred by New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe, and is now widely distributed across the globe.
Asian oyster (C. long) gigas) is also called the big oyster. Image: jp.123rf.com
Long oysters usually inhabit the intertidal zone near the mouth of the river, fixed on shallow sea objects or seaside reefs, and the juveniles can also attach to other adult shells, the hard areas of the seabed where oysters live are called oyster beds, and the layers of oysters can even form oyster reefs. The shape of the calcareous shell changes according to the attached environment, the whole has a concave oblong, the size and shape of the two shells are slightly different, the layers of striated folds on the surface of the shell are extremely rough and sharp, the shell is off-white, golden yellow or purple, and the shell can be up to 40 cm long. Oysters are generally lightly sweet and salty, with slight hints of melon, cucumber or cream. More famous long oysters such as the French Gillardeau.
French Gilado oysters. Image: miaminewtimes.com
European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis), also known as mud oysters, flat oysters, Common english name European flat oyster. Native to Europe, the most famous of which is the Belon region of France, so it is also known as the "French Belon oyster". European flat oysters are usually flat round or dish-shaped, the shell is relatively smooth, the edges are flat, the shell is mostly yellow or bluish brown, the taste is rougher, the flesh is crisp, with a strong seaweed smell and metal taste, so it is also called copper oysters, the aftertaste is long-lasting and strong, and it is a sharp tool for many old food to show the forced grid.
Huitre Belon de Bretagne ( French belon oysters ). Image: 123rf.com.cn
Crassostrea sikamea, an oyster native to Japan, is commonly known in English as Kumamoto Oyster, but interestingly, it was not favored in Japan at first, and then gradually became popular in the United States, so now Kumamoto oyster is mainly produced in the United States. The Kumamoto oyster is a famous small oyster with deep bowl-like indentations on its shell that resemble a cat's paw. They have a creamy or buttery, thick texture, sweet, light, almost nutty flavor, with a slight hint of melon aftertaste.
Kumamoto oysters. Image: wikiwand.com
Filter the seawater and accumulate the taste of the sea
Oysters are solid shellfish, prefer to inhabit the intertidal and subtidal zone shallow or sheltered waters, generally with the lower shell attached to the sea reef or shallow sea hard objects, the two shells at the narrower end with an elastic ligament connected, the oyster's axe foot has been degraded, the middle of the shell has a strong closed shell muscle, with two pieces of gills for breathing, when the shell is slightly open, by filtering microorganisms in the seawater for survival.
You can see the gills of the oysters jp.123rf.com
The oyster creates an air stream in the water by vibrating the cilia on the gills, the seawater flows into the gills, the suspended particles such as plankton and diatoms in the water are adhered to by mucus, the cilia and tentacles on the gills are selected by size, and the excessively large particles that cannot be swallowed and digested are transported to the edge of the mantle membrane for discharge. Seabirds , benthic fish , and some snails and starfish are natural enemies of oysters , such as the Urosalpinx cinenea , which often drills a small hole in the oyster shell with its tongue to suck on its living tissue.
A drill oyster snail hunting oysters. Image: wikiwand.com
Oysters are manywhat hermaphrodite, but there are also hermaphrodite species. The long oyster is a female allogeneic, the breeding period is usually in the summer of each year, when the water temperature is higher than 20 ° C, the female oyster will be secreted by the gonads with the help of the movement of the gills to release billions of eggs, combined with the sperm released by the male oysters in the water to form fertilized eggs.
Fixed oyster larvae. Image: artisanaladmirer.blogspot.com
The fertilized egg then develops into a swimming limbal larvae, and after two weeks the limbal membrane larvae attach to other objects, such as other oyster shells or reefs, and after a few days the larvae permanently lose their ability to swim and grow into adults after 3-5 years of growth.
Breed oysters like cattle and sheep
People compare oysters to wine, because the influence of the growth environment on the meat quality and flavor of oysters is like making wine, oyster varieties are generally named after the growing environment or place of origin, because the origin and living environment are different, and the taste of oysters is not the same. The beauty of oysters lies in the rich and layered taste, like perfume, which can taste the charm of the front, middle and back and the aftertaste.
Fat rock oysters. Image: jp.123rf.com.cn
The richer the microorganisms in the sea where oysters live, the fatter the oysters naturally grow, and different kinds of microorganisms will bring different flavor changes to oysters, melon fruity, creamy, hazelnut, seaweed, these sounds of oh mysterious flavor type officially from this. Therefore, oyster farmers will work tirelessly like cattle and sheep, sending oysters to different seas and eating different microorganisms, so as to bring out different flavor types.
Oyster fields. Image: shutterstock.com
The lower the temperature of the seawater, the more crisp the taste of the oyster meat, and the taste of the oyster juice depends on the salinity of the seawater, the higher the salinity of the seawater, the more intense the taste of the oysters, and the minerals such as magnesium, calcium and fluorine in the seawater will also add different flavors to the oysters. In short, on the road of cultivating oysters to pursue taste, it seems that there is no end.
Oysters, that kiss from the ocean
"Pry open the mussel shell, lips against the edge of the oyster shell, gently sucking, the tip of the tongue touches the oyster meat, soft and juicy, whizzing, the rich and fat oyster meat into the mouth, dense like a French deep kiss, there is a suffocating urge." 」
- Kitchen Secrets, Anthony Bolton
People began to eat oysters in BC, and by the 17th century, the number of wild oysters had been greatly reduced, and today's oysters mainly rely on aquaculture. If the oysters are fresh and well-produced, it is of course the best choice to eat them raw with lemon juice, as if sucking on milk from the sea.
Fresh oysters. Image: shutterstock.com
There are many brands of oysters, which are common in France alone, there are white pearls and black pearls, belons, girardeau, gold, pink diamonds, etc., in fact, there is no need to remember and distinguish their names, remember your favorite taste. Of course, if you have a heavy taste or oysters are not good enough, you can also pair it with chili sauce or soy sauce.
Seasoned oysters. Image: jp.123rf.com
Oyster sushi. Image: h-kaki.com
Of course, oysters are also suitable for cooked food, such as the common charcoal and steaming, the key to cooking is to make it not excessively shrink. Oysters and mixed tapioca flour are fried together with water, vegetables, eggs and sauce are added, which is the specialty snack of the southern region of China.
Charcoal-fired oysters. Image: 123rf.com.cn
Oysters fried. Image: shutterstock.com
In 1888, a Guangzhou native named Li Jintang cooked oyster meat for restaurant guests, but forgot to turn off the fire, and the white oyster sauce was condensed into a coffee color in the pot, but after tasting it, he found that the taste was particularly good, and a condiment that swept the world was born - this is oyster sauce.