species are commercially important; they
have different shapes and subtly different
flavors. European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis)
are relatively mild with a metallic taste; Asian
cupped oysters (Crassostrea gigas) have
melon and cucumber aromas; and Virginia
cupped oysters (Crassostrea virginica) smell
like green leaves. Though there are
exceptions, most oysters produced in Europe
are the native flat, “Portuguese,” and Asian;
on the east and Gulf coasts of North America,
the Virginia; and on the west coast, the Asian
and the Pacific (Ostrea lurida). The
“Portuguese” oyster is almost certainly a race
of the Asian oyster that hitched a ride from
China or Taiwan to the Iberian peninsula in
the ships of early explorers, four or five
centuries ago.
Oyster Waters The flavor of an oyster also
depends on its home waters, which is why it
makes sense to give geographical designations