Oyster

From ArticleWorld

The name oyster is used for a number of different groups of mollusks which grow, for the most part, in marine water.

Oysters as food

Oysters can be eaten a variety of ways including raw, smoked, boiled, baked, and fried. Preparation can be as simple as chilling them and opening the shell. Cooking can be as easy as adding butter or salt, or can be very elaborate. Oysters are usually a fairly expensive food in places where they aren't locally harvested. Often they are eaten only on special occasions. Whether oysters are predominantly eaten raw or cooked is a matter of cultural preference. In the United States, oysters are usually cooked before consumption. Raw oysters were, however, once a staple food along the East Coast of the United States, and are still readily found in states bordering the ocean. Oysters are almost always eaten raw in France. A piece of folklore concerning oysters is that they are best eaten in months containing the letter R. This is because oysters spawn in the warmer months in the Northern Hemisphere, from May to August. Their flavor is said to be watery and bland during spawning season.

Pearl oysters

Both cultivated pearls, and natural pearls, are obtained from Feathered oysters, though some other mollusks, for example freshwater mussels, do yield pearls of some commercial value. To create cultivated pearls, pearl farmers place a single piece of grit inside the oyster. In three to six years, the oyster as produced a perfect pearl. These pearls are not as valuable as natural pearls, but look exactly the same.