Oyster

Known as huitre (France), ostrica (Italy), ostra (Spain).

Oysters tend to be the type of food that you either love or hate. Usually eaten raw, their texture can vary from soft to hard, and their flavour from bland to salty, depending on their variety and where they are farmed.

Native flat-shelled oysters (most famously the Whitstable, Helford and Colchester) have rounded shells and a subtle, delicate flavour. They are known as belon in France. The Pacific (or rock) oyster has a frillier shell, with a slightly coarser flesh and a sharper, more oceanic flavour. They are usually known as huitres creuses in France.

Oysters are at their best from the end of October to the end of February, when the sea is coldest; in the warm summer months they tend to be milky, fat and soft. They are available in a range of sizes, from No. 1 (the largest) to No. 5 (the smallest). Whether you enjoy the small or larger ones will be a matter of personal taste; however, the majority of British restaurants tend to serve No. 3.

Oysters are best enjoyed raw, served in their half-shell on a bed of crushed ice. The liquid has a wonderful salty taste with a hint of iodine, and is not to be missed. Oysters may be accompanied by fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, Tabasco or chilli sauce, or a shallot and red wine vinegar dressing (mignonette), and are particularly delicious when enjoyed with a glass of chilled Chablis.

Oysters may also be baked, grilled or fried and used in a range of recipes; they are particularly good when added to steak and kidney pudding or to a creamy oyster stew or chowder.