A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America

by Rowan Jacobsen

Passionate and playful, this is the first comprehensive guide to identifying, serving, and savoring one of America’s original and most delicious foods.

Considered one of the great sensual foods since the time of ancient Rome, eaten in the United States since its earliest human habitation, oysters are now seeing an American renaissance. Like wine and cheese, they owe much of their flavor to terroir, or the specific environment in which they grow—indeed, oysters are the food that tastes most like the sea. Today, there are at least two hundred unique oyster “appellations” in North America, each producing oysters with a distinct and consistent flavor—some merely passable, others dazzling.
Beautifully written and illustrated, A Geography of Oysters is an indispensable guide to the oysters of America, describing each oyster’s appearance, flavor, origin, and availability. Readers will learn how to shuck, how to pair wines and oysters, and how to navigate a raw bar with skill and panache. The book includes recipes, maps, black-and-white photos, and a color guide, as well as lists of top oyster restaurants, producers, and festivals. Painting a picture of the quirky characters who farm oysters and the gorgeous stretches of coast where these delicacies are found, A Geography of Oysters is both terrific reading and the guide that foodies of all types have been waiting for.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, Cookbooks, Travel, History, Nature

Paperback Bunko

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

Rowan Jacobsen is the James Beard Award-winning author of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, and The Living Shore, about our ancient connection to estuaries and their potential to heal the oceans. He has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, Harper’s, Outside, Eating Well, Forbes, Popular Science, and others, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing and Best Food Writing collections. Whether visiting endangered oystermen in Louisiana or cacao-gathering tribes in the Bolivian Amazon, his subject is how to maintain a sense of place in a world of increasing placelessness. His 2010 book, American Terroir, was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by Library Journal. His newest, Shadows on the Gulf: A Journey Through Our Last Great Wetland, was released in 2011. His Outside Magazine piece “Heart of Dark Chocolate” received the 2011 Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers for best adventure story of the year. He is a 2012 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China.

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Geography of Oysters is a beautiful book about one of my favorite foods. I first heard of it when it won a James Beard award in the food reference category.

Jacobsen goes into the history of the oyster, as well as providing a guide and comments on the 132 most frequently encountered varieties. There's also a Q & A as well as a few recipes in the back.

An interesting point that he brought up is that everyone remembers their first oyster. Mine was at a party on a Cape Cod beach when I was thirteen. I remember the feeling of daring that goes along with the slurp... and I was hooked. After moving away from the coast it was a little harder to get fresh oysters, but thanks to a few good local seafood restaurants and overnight shipping I've been able to try quite a few different varieties.

Oyster lovers will enjoy this book. As an amateur, I found my favorites - Kumamotos and Totten Inlets - discussed, and found many that I want to try - Raspberry Points, Hog Island Sweetwaters, and Moonstones among them.

I'd love to hear other suggestions.

[davidson mulkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing resource if you are a fan of oysters. My first date with my wife was at the "Oyster Bar" in Grand Central Station here in NYC. Back then we just ordered a bunch of things that were less than $3. Years have passed we began to eat A LOT and learn which ones we liked and little by little we developed knowledge of what we thought was good. It was fun and really, really expensive. If we had bought this book back then we could have saved thousands of dollars not to mention the lives of thousands of oysters. This book completely demystifies the delicious little slimeballs. It's the history, geography and gastronomic story of the oyster. ALL of them. Maine, Washington State, Massachusettes, P.E.I., Louisiana, Florida and even Mexico. We learned by eating alone that we loved Belons, Kumamotos and Malpeques but there are other oysters from waters right near those spawning places that are similar yet completely different that we now know to try.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, and have dogtagged it, for reference in my journeys.

If you have even the slightest hint of interest in oysters or acquaculture, I wouldn't hesitate to find a used copy or check it out from a library.

[Sydney Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to reaaaally love oysters to get through this

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geography is really the wrong word for the title of the book. Although it does touch on the geography of oysters, it is really more of a history on oyster consumption, a travel guide for ostreophiles (oyster lovers), a graduate seminar on how to eat oysters and a polemic, arguing for why you should love oysters. Jacobsen makes a convincing case for oysters, and this reader, having only had oysters a few times, is intrigued by the idea of exploring his inner oyster lover. This book serves as a good guide to those oyster lovers who want to up their game or as an introduction to those who are willing to be seduced. Unfortunately, it is focused almost entirely on North America, and a good book on oyster culture in other parts of the world is still awaiting a writer.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to be a great reference book for oysters. I had no idea there were so many different kinds! Tells you how they grow, different farming methods, historical development, what types are from where and what their flavors are, what sort of oysters you are most likely to like based on a categorization of palates, and then safety and other questions answered at the end.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The single greatest book on bivalves I have ever had the pleasure to read. Funny, informative, moving. This book will warm your heart and strengthen your adductor muscle.

[Ryan C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for oyster amateurs and pros alike. Very easy read. Check out the website for helpful oyster cheat/reference sheets.

[Brandon Daviet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide who anyone who likes eating oyster. Tons of cool facts, history and different kinds of oyster's. A foodie book with humor and knowledge.

[Jennifer Rilstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sometimes all you want from the world is sweetness and light; at such times, the [Kumamoto] is your oyster.” Yes!!! This is exactly how I feel about my favourite oyster, and to an extent oysters in general, which is what prompted me to buy and read this book. Where I had expected a dry but informative survey of North American oyster varieties that would serve me well in my travels, I found myself instead fully engaged in this incredibly readable and entertaining book by an author who derives intense joy from his subject and shares it unabashedly. A huge quantity of research and first-hand experience is distilled down to precisely the salient information I wanted. The only complaint I have about this paperback edition is that I want more colour photos to supplement his descriptions, but since I devoured the book in a weekend, does it really matter? I have ordered “The Essential Oyster” which will perhaps satisfy that need, and I will otherwise have to head into Rodney’s to satisfy the incredible oyster craving I’ve been left with.

[Celest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy oysters, but like wine and beer, I feel a little intimidated and overwhelmed by the lingo and the variety available (and definitely intimdated to just ask the server).

This book provided a way to gain some background knowledge about the oyster and now I am both more knowledgeable about and more interested in oysters!

As the title implies, the author covers natural history, environment, and a bit of cultural history to provide context to each type of oyster and the region from which it hails.

The author describes the flavors and experiences of eating each oyster, and gives a brief overview of how you might determine the best oysters for your taste preferences.

The book includes safety info., oyster recipes, locations of reputable restaurants and growers, and lists oyster events around the US.

The content is easy to digest and very approachable and interesting so I feel like any budding foodie like myself would appreciate this read.

Next time I eat an oyster, I'll feel a little more confident about how to enjoy it.

[Derek Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a guidebook above all else, so it suffers from being really dry when reviewing each major oyster varietal. There’s also a bit of repetition between the varietals and the regions.

But while I didn’t find this book exhilarating, I liked learning more about oyster terroirs and the attributes of different varietals. As a native of Seattle, I was surprised that he regards Puget Sound as the premier oyster region of the world. I had no idea that the various lobes of the Puget Sound offered a world of differences in the oyster flavors.

I walk away from this book with a deeper appreciation of oysters, and a yearning to try more varietals.

[Rob Tonkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the book for Christmas. I have come to love oysters over the last three to five years, but knew little to nothing about them. Rowan Jacobsen writes with knowledge and passion about the subject (including detail geologic and geographic information about terroir). I can’t wait to order from some of the distributors he suggests as restaurant prices and limited grocery store selection has certain restrained my consumption.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must own for every true ostreaphile. This book touches on everything oysters. And has a very detailed listing and description for all the North American classics. I may haul this book around as a sidekick whenever I visit oyster bars. I learned so much. And the author writes in a very easy, nonchalant manner that is addictive. I want oysters tonight!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost all you need to know about oysters including the types, places, recipes, and the best beverages to compliment eating oysters. I only with there were more illustrations especially of the biology of the oyster, the various aquaculture methods, and the shocking process.

[Federico Lucifredi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing else quite like it. Reminds me of Jeffrey's Steingarten's "The man who ate everything" for the humor, but the subject is serious and discussed in detail. A quick way to attain mastery of oysters.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildly fascinating in general, but also a great oyster resource.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I actually know what to seek out when I've a hankering for oysters.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about something I only had a passing interest in. Now all I want to do is eat oysters and share my knowledge. Gonna keep this one around as a great resource.

[Damayanti (Dimpy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rowan Jacobsen is hands down my favourite food writer. I already loved oysters — now I’m obsessed. This book is a joy and I want to carry it around with me everywhere.

[ChrissieP · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author writes about oysters in such a way as to bring to this marginal subject a vast and significant meaning. I was thoroughly intrigued!

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthusiastic, comprehensive, though becoming dated.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Will be referencing as I grow in my oyster knowledge.

[Maxwell Rowshandel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and awesome read for aspiring ostreaphiles! Will definitely annotate my copy as I try all these kinds of oysters 👍

[Ollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punks can be foodies too, you know? No I'm kidding. Of course they can't. Especially oysters which are a hot commodity and pretty pricy in New England.

A Geography of Oysters reads more like an encyclopedia than a casual book about what it's like to eat oysters in the US, and that's because Rowan Jacobson gets right down to business. He lays it all out meticulously by region and what you should know if you really want to be get serious about oysters. And Jacobson is serious about this oyster business: AGOO is divided into sections discussing oyster biology and how they're grown, the kinds of oysters in the market, the different regions that grown oysters and an alphabetic breakdown of the standouts in that region, the nutritional side of oysters and how to eat them, and where to buy your oysters. So yes, the reading can be a bit dry with short paragraphs detailing the tastes and textures of each oyster and a little about the farm that grows them, but sure enough, I became desperate to start eating oysters the more I kept reading. What can I say, I learn by practice more than theory.

This book is something you'll want to keep handy if you're going on an oyster trip or if you want some direction on how best to enjoy oysters in your region. If anything, you'll develop a new appreciation for these slimy and tasty creatures.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know oysters are mobile and have some visual acuity early in their lives, but then voluntarily give up locomotion and sight? Or that they are sequential hermaphrodites that can change sex from year to year? Are you familiar with the nuances of "merroir"? (Think "terroir" for sea-dwellers.) This is the so-called Oyster Bible, and it will tell you everything you want (or didn't want) to know about the bivalve. I picked it up only because my boss handed it to me, but it was actually highly entertaining. About 2/3 of the book is descriptions of individual oyster varieties, but even these are fun to skim through. If you are a budding ostreaphile, this is the must-have guidebook. And if not, you can just go shuck yourself.

[Peter Tutak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading for any oyster aficionado.

[Jessi Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first part, the history and biology of the oyster. The parts about each and every oyster location & species, though, weren't for me. The recipes weren't up my alley, either. This is geared for the connoisseur who wants to try all of these oyster varieties, traveling or shipping them in to evaluate each one. I just want to go to a NC coast roast, bring my knife, and eat a half-bushel of lightly steamed Stump Sounds. Mmmm <3

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! In particular, I was delighted to come across the section, "What kind of oyster eater are you?" Interesting recommendations on the kinds of oysters that suit different taste preferences. I also enjoyed the recommendations of martini, beer, sake, and water pairings with oysters, after the very thorough wine-oyster pairing section.

[Liesel Schilperoort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information. I enjoyed the description of the oysters but I had to put it down more than I would have liked because the descriptions were all running together in my mind. I will probably use this as a reference guide before I go and buy my first batch of raw oysters to shuck and enjoy at home.