Speaking of oysters, friends who like seafood are certainly not strangers, and steamed oysters are the favorite of many people. The scientific name of oysters is oysters, commonly known as white meat, large oysters, oysters, oysters, etc., the meat is sweet and delicious, nutritious, rich in calcium, known as "milk in the sea", is a high-grade seafood products in the domestic and foreign markets.
There are more than 100 species of oysters around the world, varying in color, size, and flavor. Oysters are typical filter-feeding shellfish, and the water quality and composition of the bait will affect the flavor and taste of the oysters. Therefore, in different production areas, the quality characteristics of oysters are different, such as The top Belon oysters in France, which have a unique creamy taste and fruity aroma, and the Japanese Kumamoto oysters are also unique, with a refreshing, smooth and tender taste.
In China, there are also many varieties of oysters, common ones are Omi oysters, Hong Kong oysters, Dalian Bay oysters and long oysters. Before buying oysters, experienced diners will inquire about the origin. China's oyster production areas are mainly distributed in Guangdong, Shandong, Liaoning, Taiwan, Fujian and other provinces, famous production areas are Yangjiang, Dalian Bay, Rushan, Zhanjiang, Shajing, etc., production history is long, is the guarantee of oyster quality.
Taking Rushan City as an example, rushan sea area is rich in long oysters, and the local saying has been circulating since ancient times that "eat oysters raw and eat shrimp alive". Rushan has an average annual output of 300,000 tons of oysters, accounting for about 6.6% of the country, delicious, large and full, rich in nutrients, and is a rare "sea tonic".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" > "milk in the sea" oysters</h1>
Oysters are divided into two parts: shell and soft body (oyster meat), both of which have great use and development value. Oyster meat is rich in protein, and minerals such as selenium, calcium and zinc are also very rich.
It is worth mentioning that the scientific research team in Italy and the United States and other countries has studied the nutritional content of oysters, and pointed out in the Sydney Morning Herald that the taurine contained in oysters exists in free form, which can improve the secretion level of human sex hormones.
In our country, oysters are also generally considered to be an aphrodisiac food, in which zinc helps the production of testosterone, the benefits are self-evident. Like ingredients such as leeks, oysters are often found in barbecues across the country and have a place in night market snacks, which is quite popular.
The "Oyster Industry Report" released in 2021 also shows that there are 121 oyster processing enterprises in the country, and the processed products include frozen products, cold fresh products, dried products, condiments, etc., frozen oysters account for about 50%, and a considerable part of them flow to the barbecue market everywhere.
How important are oysters to the diet of Chinese residents? A survey is very illustrative.
In 2019, a market survey on oyster consumption intentions was launched in China, and the results showed that oysters were more popular than expected: 95.84% of respondents said they knew oysters, and nearly 80% of respondents had bought and eaten oysters in the last year.
The common frequency of Chinese residents buying oysters is "2 to 4 times a month" and "1 to 3 months to buy", each time the purchase volume is about 1 to 3 kilograms, and the single consumption is 20 to 100 yuan, and weekend parties and daily meals have become the main consumption occasions.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" can > oysters be eaten raw? </h1>
Can "milk in the sea" be eaten raw? This issue has always been highly controversial. In the north, oysters are called sea oysters, and some areas do have a traditional saying of "eating sea oysters raw", such as the previous mention of "eating oysters raw and eating shrimp alive".
In France, Spain and other countries, oysters are basically eaten raw, with lemon juice simple seasoning, the entire soft body is swallowed directly, smooth and sweet, excellent flavor. In fact, as early as the 17th century, raw oysters have been popular in Europe, and now it has become the mainstream way of eating young people.
Oyster workshop in New York Harbor, North America, 1840-1920
The famous French writer Maupassant, in his work "My Uncle Hule", also described the way oysters are eaten:
An old ragged sailor used a knife to pry open the shells of oysters and handed them to the two gentlemen, who in turn offered them to the lady. The ladies ate very elegantly, first holding the oyster shell with a delicate handkerchief, extending their mouths slightly forward so as not to stain the skirt, and then sucking briskly, sucking the meat and juice into their mouths at once, and then throwing the empty shell into the sea.
From the description, it can be seen that the oysters here are also eaten directly raw, and are also considered to be "noble movements", "this way of eating is graded, elegant, and stylish". It is not difficult to see that raw oysters have become a tradition in France, and it is also the exclusive pastime of the aristocracy, and it is simply a luxury for the poor to eat it once.
So, can oysters really be eaten raw?
In fact, as mentioned earlier, the quality of oysters has a lot to do with the water quality of the sea area where they are located. Oysters raised in the first-class seawater are natural and pollution-free, and can indeed be eaten raw after food safety inspection. If the environment of the place of origin is not up to standard, such as the water quality only reaches the secondary standard or there is eutrophication pollution, then the oysters raised are not suitable for raw eating, and the safety risk is very large.
Therefore, whether oysters can be eaten raw depends mainly on the environment and quality. Europe and North America have strict restrictions on the origin of oysters, and the quality inspection of the products will be carried out after the market, and there is not much problem of eating raw. However, in China, offshore pollution is more common, water quality is difficult to reach the first-level standard, oysters have more pathogenic bacteria, it is not recommended to eat raw.
In China, the most common way to eat is cooked food, through barbecue, steaming, boiling, baking, frying and other ways to kill germs, the same nutritious and delicious, rich taste. In the absence of a complete grasp of the quality of oysters, high-temperature cooking is safer, safer, and more recommended.
One might argue that seawater parasites and pathogens, unlike freshwater, have greater osmotic pressure and cannot survive in the human intestinal environment. There is some truth to this statement, the sashimi made of marine fish is indeed lower than the risk of eating freshwater fish raw, but it is not afraid of ten thousand in case: the pathogenic bacteria in seawater also have a certain ability to adapt to changes in salinity, in order to ensure safety, it is still recommended to cook as much as possible.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="33" > need to gut oysters? </h1>
Whether it is raw or cooked food, people generally swallow oysters in their entirety when eating oysters, without any treatment for internal organs. For shrimp, crabs and even some snails, the internal organs will be removed when eating. So, does eating oysters require internal organs?
Let's first understand the structural characteristics of oysters. The edible part of the oyster is the soft part, which in turn is composed of different tissues and organs such as the digestive tract, heart, gonads, incision membrane, gills, and lip flaps.
Among these organs, the most feared are the digestive organs, mainly including digestive glands, intestines, stomach and so on. If the food is not fully digested and excreted, there will indeed be a certain amount of algae residue left in the intestine, which is also considered to be the dirtiest part of the soft body.
Relevant studies have shown that the filter feeding ability of oysters is very strong, and one oyster can filter 190 liters of seawater in a day, which can significantly improve water quality. The picture above is a sharp contrast, the water tank on the left does not put oysters, the water body is yellow and turbid, there are oysters on the right side, the microalgae are filtered and absorbed, the water body becomes clear and clean, and the transparency is increased. From the perspective of eating habits, the oyster intestines remain mainly phytoplankton, after digestion, the residue is dark green or black, the content is small, the impact on human health is not large, can not be treated.
If you really can't rest assured, you can also purify the purchased oysters. The purification of oysters is actually to put oysters in clean, bait-free water for 48 to 72 hours, and the food residue in the body will gradually be discharged.
In this regard, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has issued targeted operational norms, Japan, European countries have also issued relevant national standards, the general method is: with sterilized seawater continuous circulation, seaweed, silt and other residues will be discharged with the oyster swallowing cycle, greatly improving the taste and quality, eating is more hygienic.
Can oysters be eaten raw? Do internal organs need to be removed? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.