With Oyster Culture, Gwendolyn Meyer dives into the rich history of oyster farming in West Marin, a northern region of California. She offers up a fascinating volume that combines oyster history, oyster factoids, oyster recipes and--of course--oyster culture.
Meyer, who lives in the area, explores the story of the oyster from its growth from larva to spat to seed oyster--did you know an oyster's sex is ultimately determined by the temperature and salinity of the water in which it grows?--within the context of the history of oyster farming in California, and West Marin in particular. And, as understanding oyster culture would be impossible without understanding the many ways in which oysters are consumed, she then provides enticing recipes and wine pairings.
Couple all of this with Meyer's outstanding photography and gorgeous page design and you have a book that will make anyone long for the delicate crack of the oyster's layered shell and the chilled, briny flavor of the meat inside. Perhaps you're lucky enough to live near West Marin and can enjoy a fresh, local oyster. The rest of us will have to be grateful for advent of refrigeration and rapid transit, which, as Meyer notes, changed the oyster industry--and the oyster culture--of the United States for good. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm