Oysters

Oysters are clams, representatives of backboneless inhabitants of the seas. Externally a sink at them an asymmetric form. One shutter has the convex large form, and with its help the mollusk fastens to the rock or a stone. Second shutter several smaller sizes, more flat and thin. From an internal surface the sink is covered with a nacre, and in it there is an edible mollusk. Taste at oysters various – from sweetish to salty, also depends on the region of dwelling and the environment of a mollusk.

The main trade type is the oyster living in the Mediterranean and Black seas. Distinguish about fifty kinds of oysters which have classification, depending on weight and dimensional characteristics. For example, there are oysters No. 00 to whom the largest mollusks by the size concern. And here oysters from No. 0 to No. 5 have the smallest sizes. The oysters No. 3, most widespread in Europe, whose weight averages 80-100 g. Oysters Adriatic, rocky, Portuguese, Black Sea, lamellar, Japanese distinguish, huge, etc. Besides, there are oysters improved (or affined, grown up in special conditions), and are grown up in the conditions of the full sea.

There live oysters as colonies, and one by one, at a depth of 1-70 m. They fasten to stones, sand-stony soil or rocks. There are even so-called "oyster banks" (the settlement of mollusks which are at a distance from the coast), and "coastal settlements" of mollusks.

History

Archeological excavations indicate that oysters were eaten since ancient times. It is authentically known that in China they were parted in the 4th millennium B.C. In Europe oysters for the first time mention in 500 B.C. in Ancient Greece and Rome.

They received especially wide popularity at the time of government of the French king Louis XVI that led to the fact that in the middle of the 19th century their population began to disappear. But there's no evil without good: oysters learned to part in the artificial way. For this purpose oyster babies were caught and placed in specially prepared creeks where their growth was artificially controlled.

In pre-revolutionary Russia the oyster was widely adopted as a restaurant dish, and generally propertied segments of the population ate it. In Soviet period demand for them was sharply reduced and, begun was, their import from Cuba in the seventies had to be stopped. The dish did not enjoy popularity even at restaurants. Here, it should be noted, the big role was played by lack of culinary practice and some fastidiousness as an oyster it is necessary to eat live.

Oysters in cookery

In France and Belgium oysters are a delicacy, and they need to be eaten in a live look. If the oyster dead, so she is spoiled and is her it is impossible. The most important criterion of freshness is densely closed sink. And here if in a sink the small crack is observed at least, so the oyster already stale, and is it it is impossible. Open an oyster a special oyster knife or a medical scalpel. It is entered into the place where shutters are connected by a lock, and seen on the center of an oyster and from the flat party of a sink, to the muscle locking shutters. When the sink opens, it is necessary to concern from edge where it is possible to distinguish the darkish line of cilia. If the oyster is live – she will shudder if it remains motionless, so it is dead and in food is not suitable.

Eat oysters very simply – slightly sprinkle lemon juice and just "drink" from the deepened, curved party of a shutter. Jam an oyster, as a rule, black bread (into France it is imported only for the sake of oysters), and wash down with either light beer, or dry white wine.

In a number of the countries the tinned oysters representing already fried or boiled semi-finished product who, like mussels and crabs, apply in salads and soups in a melkonarezanny look release. They have no useful properties of oysters fresh and taste at them absolutely other.

Structure and caloric content of oysters

100 g of oysters contain 82,06 g of water, 9,45 g of proteins, 4,95 g of carbohydrates, 2,3 fats, 1,23 g of ashes; vitamins: Retinolum (A), thiamin (B1), Riboflavinum (B2), Niacinum (RR), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), cyanocobalamine (B12), vitamin C; macrocells: phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium; microelements: selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, iron.

Caloric content at oysters is low and makes about 78 kcal on 100 g.

Advantage of oysters

The main advantage of oysters consists in their rich mineral and vitamin composition (group B vitamins, niacin, Niacinum, iodine, iron, phosphorus, selenium, copper, zinc, etc.) Besides, a large amount of digestible protein and low caloric content of oysters gives the chance to rank them as dietary food stuffs.

Useful properties of oysters consist in normalization of work of a nervous system, strengthening of a bone tissue, advantage for sight, improvement of function of a liver and kidneys.

The American scientists found in the list of oysters ceramides – fatty acids which allowed to open one more positive property of oysters – suppression of growth of cancer cells.

Besides, in collaborations of the Italian and American scientists the advantage of oysters is that at their structure there are unique amino acids which stimulate production of sexual hormones.

Contraindications

Oysters are contraindicated to the people having intestines diseases with frequent disturbances of a chair, a spleen and stomach. Also crude oysters pregnant women and the feeding women are not recommended to use.