Information about the extraction of oysters takes us back to time immemorial - in the Neolithic settlements of a man who settled along the coasts of the oceans, shells of these mollusks are found in huge quantities. In Korea, South Primorye, and also in Japan, the length of ancient oyster piles sometimes reaches hundreds of meters. In this article, we will look at the most common types of oysters, the list of which is given below.
Varieties
In nature, almost 50 species of these mollusks are known, most of which can be eaten. They most often choose tropical seas for living, but there are several species living in the waters of the cold northern seas.
Oysters can be divided into 2 groups depending on the shape of their shell: flat, deep and rounded. Flat fish, which are most appreciated by lovers of this seafood, live on the numerous shallows of the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. This species is represented by 4 varieties, each of which has its ownunique taste qualities, its own price category, as well as external features.
Marin Oleron
These types of oysters in France have the same name with their habitat - Marin Oleron district, Charente province. They are the most outstanding representatives of this group of mollusks and have long been recognized by gourmets from all over the planet due to their surprisingly delicate taste. The main characteristics are the presence of almost round shells, as well as the greenish color of the meat.
Gravette
These oysters grow in the Arcachon basin. They are quite meaty, despite their small size, and also uns alted in taste. Their carapace is greenish-yellow.
Belon
We continue to consider the types of oysters. The list will be incomplete, if not to say about belon. They also got their name due to their habitat - a small coastal village located in the north of the province of Brittany. To date, almost all oysters grown in Brittany have received this name. Their distinctive feature is a grayish-white color, as well as the presence of a sharp iodine odor.
Types of oysters: fin de claire
Their name comes from the cages where they are grown. The duration of this process is one month, while up to twenty individuals can be located on one meter at once. Special varieties of algae are used as their supplementary food.
Special
These kinds of oystersdiffer from the previous variety in fleshiness and greater density. Such qualities are obtained due to the two-month keeping of mollusks in special cages. 10 individuals live on one meter of area.
Croes
These types of oysters are bred off the coast of Ireland and Normandy. Cold Atlantic waters have an interesting effect on the development of these molluscs, contributing to an increase in the density and fat content of the meat.
Blue shell
These oysters are bred and grown in an interesting way. On the 2nd and 3rd year of life, they are transplanted into special pools filled with blue clay. This is done to enrich them with additional trace elements (phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc) and vitamins.
Brittany
These types of oysters are grown on the southern coast of the province of the same name in France. Their unique feature is a rich, spicy taste with a slight metallic taste.
Oysters white pearls
When looking at the types of oysters to obtain pearls, it is worth highlighting this one. They have an elegant shell shape in which this mineral grows. Seafood connoisseurs will also recognize them immediately by their pungent iodine smell and pleasantly sweet taste.
Khasanskaya
These oysters are characterized by a longitudinally wavy structure. The color range of shells is from snow-white to dark olive or burgundy. This mollusk is the most labor-intensive in production - it is mined on underwater rocks, great depths, in places with fast currents. Has a unique ratiototal weight to body weight. We can say that this is the most beautiful oyster in existence.
Aniva Oyster
This oyster can be called a delicate nature with a strong character. It lives on Sakhalin Island, near the village of Solovyovka, in Aniva Bay, which is how it got its name. This mollusk is so popular that the neighboring Japanese periodically visit Sakhalin specifically for it. Its deep, elongated, narrow boat-shaped shell, interesting s alty flavor and soft greenish color set it apart from other oysters.
Posietskaya Oyster
Considering the different types of oysters, it is worth highlighting this one. It is very exotic because it lives on bioherms (underwater hills), the lower part of which is buried 10 meters deep in silt. Interestingly, when studying the valves of the lower layers of extinct oysters, they were about 8000 years old. This period coincides with global warming, as well as rising sea levels, and this has led to an increase in the growth of hills as a result.
This oyster has the most unusual look. To be more precise, it is formless, so sometimes you won’t understand what it is. The weight of the mollusk reaches 1.5 kg. With an average weight of 600 grams, it reaches 25 cm in length. The airy light oyster has very tender meat, and also has a sweet taste and an unusually fresh smell. This gives her the right to be the standard of oysters.
Japanese
Queen of the Busse Lagoon of Sakhalin Island. The giant oyster lives at a depth of up to 7 m, sometimes forming continuoussettlements (oyster banks). The body of the mollusk is enclosed in an oval-wedge-shaped or irregularly rounded shell, white. The left (lower) shell valve – with which oysters grow to each other – is more convex in shape. Both flaps have radial wide folds and are also covered with concentric thin plates.
The main habitat of mollusks are warm subtropical and tropical seas. Although in temperate latitudes, where in summer the water temperature reaches 16 ˚С, oysters are able to breed and live.
The main danger for these mollusks are starfish, some representatives of gastropods, sponge-clions.
