From Montparnasse to Greenwell Point
This is a book for lovers of oysters, food history and just plain beautiful writing about food. The book represents many years of consuming oysters, talking to oyster growers around the country and researching the history of the tasty mollusc. The book defines the oyster and looks at the differences between species; presents the history of oyster consumption; discusses cultivation; visits the major oyster growing areas in Australia (past and present); defines what makes a good oyster; looks at the shell and structure of an oyster; and explores the gastronomic experience of eating an oyster.
The book also covers the use of the oyster in art and literature and looks at the oyster as not only delicious but also an object of beauty, for example, the pearl and pearl button (though it seems empty oyster shells were among the first jewels).
