Oyster: A World History

by Drew Smith

In the vein of Salt and Cod—the incredible tale of the oyster in history, art, literature, and more, from the dawn of time up through its current role as a symbol of environmentalism in the U.S.
 
Oysters are older than people, older than grass, and this journey demonstrates that they have been present at every turn of human events—inspiring great writers, painters, and cooks; sustaining whole communities; and fashioning legend and history. Besides being an unusual species in themselves, oysters provide a fascinating insight into how the world has evolved. Their pearls have funded empires and caused the invention of modern-day slavery. The evidence oysters leave behind shows us that we were not cavepeople at all, but covepeople, exploring the world along the coastlines, because oysters were a sign of a safe and healthy marine economy. They have been influential both as one of the healthiest foods we can eat and with their perennial reputation as an aphrodisiac. This book discusses the scandal of what has happened to the oyster in the UK, its use as a symbol in the U.S., and the hopes for aquaculture in Japan and Korea. From pleasure, pearls, politics, piracy, piety, and poverty, this book reveals a whole array of incredible, little-known facts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biology, History, Animals

255 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

There are several authors using this name.
Library of Congress Authorities: Smith, Drew

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent smorgasbord of a book, which ties oysters to world history, from carbon dated oyster middens that link locations around the world to human settlement thousands of years ago, right up to the present day. The book also delves into a huge variety of elements from different cultures, looking at recipes, songs, art and nature. I adore oysters and I know that this is a book I will keep referring back to, searching for the pearls that lie within, much as many still do with oysters themselves. Drew Smith has clearly done a phenomenal amount of research and has dug into sources all around the world to show that oysters are intrinsically linked to mankind throughout our history, and long may that be so!

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the books on oysters I can get my hands on from the library, Drew Smith's is by far the richest and most deeply researched. Longer than most, it takes more commitment to read this much about the briny gem, but Smith takes the topic seriously. It's enjoys two comparative advantages. First, Smith plumbs literature, poetry and historical letters more than any other culinary historian on the topic to orient the historical significance of the oyster across different periods and regions. Second, Smith's chapter-by-chapter focus of different oyster growing regions with greater granularity on the Northeast, shows how each region, its people and their respective economies developed separately across the decades. Some regions developed more peaceful and cooperative institutions to reap the wealth of the oyster, while others were more rivalrous and even violent. But Smith shows his chops in older periods and regions too, reaching much further back to Roman and even pre-Roman times to show just how important the oyster has been from more ancient periods to modernity.