Home › The Principles of Cookery › Oyster

Oyster

Oysters are universally liked, and besides being delicious, are considered wholesome and nourishing for delicate and consumptive persons. When cooked, they appear more frequently as components of other dishes than by themselves, and when served thus, preserved oysters, which may be obtained of any grocer, will be found an economical and excellent substitute for the fresh fish, though not quite equal to it. There are several kinds, each large town having its favourite oyster-bank, but Whitstable and Colchester "natives" are generally considered the best. Oysters cannot be too fresh, and when eaten raw, should be swallowed as soon as they are opened, as exposure to the air spoils their flavour. They may be preserved alive for some days, but their quality gradually deteriorates. It is said that if a cupful of hot milk is taken by delicate persons immediately after partaking of oysters, it will greatly assist their digestion.