Oysters. They’re slimy, putrid and look a bit like something you’d find in a dark corner of Diagon Alley. And yet they have been a favourite of food lovers and romantics throughout the centuries.
Until only recently, I had no intention of ever touching one. Certainly never paying good money to experience something with the consistency of an elephant’s bogey and the smell of something worse.
However, the charms of a cheeky waiter and a subsequent bet forced my hand. I tried my first oyster a year ago, on a bed of cracked ice with a dash of Tabasco, and never looked back.
Despite being wholly converted into an oyster mega-fan, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced the supposed side effects (cue the naughty innuendos). So I’ve always wondered why the oyster has maintained such a timeless association with, to put it bluntly, sex.
The story goes that when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sprang forth with gusto from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros, the word ‘aphrodisiac’ was born. Roman emperors literally paid for oysters by their weight in gold. The debonair lover Casanova also started every evening meal by eating dozens of oysters (explains a lot).
Are you starting to feel a little intrigued now? I hope so. Because if I could howl a recommendation for this particular oyster haunt from the rooftops, I would.
The Maldon Oyster stall, of which I am now a regular, is an absolute gem. Serving up deliciously fresh oysters every Saturday morning in the Partridges Food Market at the Duke of York Square, Sloane Square, they really do brighten up my weekend. The friendly bunch that crack my oysters each week are proud of their reputation as suppliers of some of the best shellfish around. And boy do they deserve it. Friendly, affordable (one oyster for £1, six for £5) and ever fresh, try their oysters with a zing of shallot vinegar and you’ll be buzzing all day. Add a cheeky Bloody Mary to the mix and, hey presto, hangover cured.
Slimy and putrid? Who am I kidding. See you there Saturday…
Burning question - to chew or not to chew?
Top tip: Take time to chew. Unofficial evidence suggests that chewing helps to release the ‘romantic’ qualities of the oyster into the body quicker. You heard it here first…
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