Oyster: A Gastronomic History

by Drew Smith

From the one-time editor of the #1 bestselling The Good Food Guide , award-winning writer Drew Smith’s A Gastronomic History offers readers a global view of the oyster, tracing its role in cooking, art, literature, and politics from the dawn of time to the present day.

Oysters have inspired chefs, painters, and writers alike, have sustained communities financially and ecologically, and have loomed large in legend and history. Using the oyster as the central theme, Smith has organized the book around time periods and geographical locations, looking at the oyster’s influence through colorful anecdotes, eye-opening scientific facts, and a wide array of visuals. The book also includes 50 recipes—traditional country dishes and contemporary examples from some of the best restaurants in the world.

“A brilliant crusade for the oyster that shows how food has shaped our history, art, literature, lawmaking, culture, and, of course, lovemaking and cuisine.” —Renowned French chef Raymond Blanc

“Drew Smith’s Oyster satisfies on so many levels. It is rich in history, lore, recipes, fascinating images—in short, a delicious book from start to finish.” —Sandy Ingber, Grand Central Oyster Bar

Includes color and black-and-white illustrations

Genres: Food, History, Food and Drink, Nonfiction, Cookbooks

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

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

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book on the New Non-Fiction shelf at the library and grabbed it as I was checking out. Interesting and in-depth history

[Abigail Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative & inspirational!

[Dnim · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ IT! If you are an oyster lover or a curious about seafood this book is a must. Be warned: this is a Western oyster HISTORY book, detailing the story of trade, farming, oyster use, gastronomy, and related mostly in Europe and North America. It is NOT a cooking book. It touches briefly the oyster context in Asia, maybe because the culture is so different in the area there would be need for another book itself instead of a chapter. So if you are interested in Asian history look somewhere else. The author does an amazing job of relating the stories to oyster recipes of each aforementioned location. If you are an oyster appreciator, which I believe you would be to buy the book in the first place, it will be a delight to try the old and modern gastronomy! The author digged deep into many curiosities that are related to the oyster world including the Pocahontas real story, the Tabasco brand, the inspirations for art, slave and even child labor in oyster houses and the book has several high quality historical images that are both eye catching and interesting. In the last few chapter the author briefly touches topics of ecology (scrapped in this case, but hey don’t mind me, I am a marine researcher), shucking equipments and oyster festivals to attend around the world, though again mostly centered in US and Europe. For me, it was a delight!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure how I would feel reading another oyster book after reading The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky many years ago and which I enjoyed immensely. But this was a delight. It is a varied book, with beautiful photography and includes multiple recipes. Providing not only a history of the oyster across geographies, you get a good deal of insight into the science and the very nature and character of oysters (some can live to be 100 - they can also change genders - more than once). As someone who consumes approximately 500 oysters a year, I found that I was nearly on par with the average consumption of a New Yorker at the turn of the 20th Century. Highly recommended to those who love to eat oysters and those who enjoy cooking them.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oyster: A Gastronomic History is an all-in-one book about the oyster from a gastronomical perspective. The book tells many aspects such as history, geography, recipe, culture, and art about the oyster. Great pictures, excellent storytelling. The history spans from the ancient times (the Paleozoic era) to the present day.

The first few chapters were real page-turners (it tells the anatomy, function, and characteristics of an oyster in an entertaining way), but the mid-section of the book was too focused on European/American History & Geography, so I kind of skipped it. I was looking for an entertaining book that gives insight into the history of oyster in general. Maybe if you're an oyster foodie and you like the European history, this is for you.

[Albablume · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read on what would be considered a royal seashell, brimming with life. This book is filled with unexpected facts on the oyster: its biology, history, varieties, environmental impacts and don't forget the round-the-world recipes.

I loved it and would acquire it as a treasured coffee table book which I would read and reread at leisure. Also, I'm seriously considering oyster farming for my retiring plans.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets a star just for subject matter alone!

Recipes are interesting as are the photos and illustrations. I enjoyed the biology intro to oysters, as well as oysters by geography, though there is a noted European/UK emphasis. Fair enough, as most oyster books I've read focus on the US.

Enjoyable read, recommended if you're an oyster enthusiast.

[Allen Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love oysters but never had any real knowledge of the aquaculture surrounding them or the world wide diversity. A great brief history of oysters from around the world. Haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but several were earmarked for future use as I went through the book. Well worth the read for any costal epicurean.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a version of Drew Smith's more academic work on Oysters, but pared down for readability, and supplemented with lithographs, photographs and other art. To that end, it is an easier introduction to oysters, but I preferred the more comprehensive version.

[Bobby Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything to know on oysters!

In-depth history of oysters with delicious recipes throughout. I find the illustrations fascinating and the history of oyster girls a hoot. Also, who knew that oysters really are an aphrodisiac?

[Dickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew? The long history of eating oysters in different cultures, time periods, throughout history.

[Russel Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of facts and facts, but I really loved hearing about the oyster early history. PHOENICIA!

[Shruts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strange book, combing history, marine biology, and culinary arts.

The author spends quite sometime exploring the ancient history of oysters as food, lending some amusing perspective to the old saw that the first person to eat a raw oyster was brave indeed (or very hungry, at least). The fact that the Romans shipped oysters home from Britannia is not as interesting as the fact that the brits had been slurping oysters for centuries.

The origin of the lore of the oyster as aphrodisiac is explored, and while there is some slim scientific basis, more amusing is the stories of Victorian street merchants (Oyster Girls) providing an extra service or two to regular customers.

I feel as a native Marylander that the rich history of the mid-Atlantic oyster commerce, especially the Chesapeake, is given short shrift. This industry spawned a huge, fertile and focused shipbuilding industry that is in evidence even today. A visit to the Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD is suggested on that topic.

The numerous oyster recipes scattered throughout the book are fascinating as historical and regional vignettes, but I prefer mine simple and straight up, right off the shell!