OYSTERS are older than us, older than grass. At every point in human history there has been an oyster dimension. You can find them in the Bible and the Koran. But it is more than a history because oysters restore the estuary, clean the waters. In a way they are the start of ecology. As I write this Blue Marine Foundation is looking to raise money to create new oyster reefs in the Solent, the first such move in the UK but there have been spectacular successes in the USA, even New York. Oysters are at the forefront of environmental action.
This is a very fine edition complete with beautiful illustrations and 50 recipes. It is what I might term a new kind of book more in line with the kind of works you might expect from National Geographic or Time Life. Something to keep. You did not think you wanted to cook oysters? Maybe the book can change your mind.
It was voted one of American Vogue’s food books of the year and got some nice reviews in the Evening Standard here and some fun and games here.
Includes the infamus Dalston bouillabaise and of course the immaculate oyster soup as well as everyday reassurances like potee, minestrone and a run of glorious, everyday vegetable suppers.
DrewSmithLondon.com 