Устриці

The animal

The edible true oysters mainly belong to the genera Ostrea, Crassostrea, Magallana and Saccostrea. Examples include the European flat oyster, the eastern oyster, the Olympia oyster, the Pacific oyster and the Sydney rock oyster. Oysters breathe primarily through gills, and a small three-chambered heart pumps colourless blood to all parts of the body. The Pacific oyster, also called the Japanese oyster, is native to the Pacific coast of Asia. The Pacific oyster, now Magallana gigas, was placed in the genus Crassostrea until 2017.

Smell of the sea

The European flat oyster has a tannic seawater flavour that is sometimes described as dry and metallic. Dimethyl sulfide, which marine planktonic microorganisms such as the coccolithophores produce, contributes to the characteristic odor of sea air and is also a component of the odor of cooked seafoods.

Oysters as food and pearl source

Scarcity raised prices and turned oysters from a working-class food into an expensive delicacy. Raw oysters have a soft, fleshy texture. Oysters are traditionally considered an aphrodisiac, partly because they resemble female sex organs. In 2000, Pacific oysters accounted for 98% of the world's cultured oyster production. Pearl farmers culture a pearl by placing a nucleus, usually a piece of polished mussel shell, inside the oyster.

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