What Are the Different Categories of Oysters?
Oyster is a common term for many different species of marine bivalve molluscs. Edible oysters are considered "true oysters" and are classified in the family Ostreidae, as opposed to "pearl oysters" of the distinct family Pteriidae, or the "thorny oysters" of the family Spondylidae. True oysters fall into four genera: Crassostrea, Ostrea, Ostreola and Saccostrea. Edible oysters have been commonly consumed since prehistory and are eaten both cooked and raw. Does this Spark an idea?
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Crassostrea
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Most oysters served in the United States are from the family Crassostrea, of which there are two common species: Crassostrea virginica and Crassostrea gigas.
Crassostrea virginica is typically known as the Atlantic oyster, the Eastern oyster or the Virginia oyster. It is native to the east coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It has also been imported to the Puget Sound, Washington, area, where it is farmed under the name Totten Inlet Virginica.
Crassostrea gigas is typically known as the Pacific oyster or the Japanese oyster. It is native to the Pacific coast of Asia but has been imported for farming to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. In each of these areas, it is an important commercial harvest.
Ostrea
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The Ostrea edulis is native to Britanny, France, and is known as the Belon oyster, the European flat oyster, the Colchester native oyster and the mud oyster. Traditionally, this species has been harvested across the southern and western coasts of Europe, from the Mediterranean coast to the British Isles. Since the 1940s, it has been established along the United States' Atlantic coast from Maine to Rhode Island. It is now farmed commercially in California and Washington state.
This species is more expensive in the United States than more common varieties. Many chefs consider the taste superior for serving raw on the half shell.
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Ostreola
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Ostreola conchaphila is the species native to the North American Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. It is commonly known as the Olympia oyster and was the basis of the 19th century oyster industry of the Puget Sound area of Olympia, Washington.
Due to overharvesting, the species had disappeared from the California coast by 1900. The early San Francisco oyster industry was based on the imported Atlantic oyster, not the rare native Olympia oyster.
Saccostrea
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Saccostrea glomerata, commonly known as the Sydney rock oyster, is a species native to Australia and New Zealand. It is the basis of a substantial commercial oyster farming industry in Queensland and New South Wales. It is a gourmet product that is exported to restaurants in Asia, Europe and North America.
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