The Oyster Epicure

3. How to Serve It. ‘© On the deep.” American und French Fashion. It has become quite fashionable to serve raw oysters as one of the preliminaries to a dinner-party; sometimes’on small plates, sometimes on the half-shell. They are seasoned by each guest according to his own taste. — Marion Harland. When well washed, open them, detaching the upper shell, then detach them from the under shell, but leave them on it; place on a dish, and leave the upper shell on every oyster,' and serve thus.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 19. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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Oysters should be served in their deep shells with their own liquor, and eaten with a fork '; cayenne pepper, quarters of lemon, brown bread and butter, form their most proper accompaniments. — /vancatelli. Oysters should always be eaten the instant they are opened. They are served often before the soup, in the first course of a dinner, and are arranged usually in as many plates as there are guests at the table. In England, oysters are served in their flat shells; they are accompanied by brown bread and butter, pepper, and vinegar, or quarters of lemon. In France they are served in their deep shellin their own liquor. —J/rs. Henry Reeve. The Morris Rivers or the Scotch Coves, the Blue Points and Shrewsburys, are all small and fat, and of good shape to serve in the shell. And with all the devices of China, glass, and ice, to serve raw oysters in, they never have the same taste out of the shell that they have when first opened and sprinkled with the juice from half alemon. See that the shells are clean before opening the oysters. Put the piece of lemon in the middle. — Whitehead’s ** Hotel Meat Cook.” 1The smallest fork is for the raw oysters, which generally precede a handsome dinner; the next smallest for the fish, and soon In eating oysters, the shell is steadied on the plate with the fingers ofthe left hand, and the oysters are not cut, but eaten whole. —

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 20. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, or vinegar. In serving them without the shells, the most attractive way is ina dish of ice made by freezing water in a tin form shaped like a salad-bowl. — Goodholme’s ‘* Domestic Cyclop.” They are commonly served either on the half-shell or ina shallow plate, swimming in their own juice, for an evening collation; or, as one course in the menu of a stately dinner, they are served in blocks of ice hollowed out for the purpose, or frozen in the shape of a salad-bowl or other sightly dish, so as to contain them. For the first method, wash the shells clean, open them with a pointed oyster-knife, detach the oyster from the flat shell and lay that aside; then detach the oyster from the deep shell, but leave it there in its own juice. Select the roundest shell, put it on the centre of a dinner-plate, and range the others around it like the spokes of a wheel. Serve with a quarter of a lemon, or a small saucer containing lemon-juice, and pepper, vinegar, horseradish, or other condiment, to the taste. A dainty relish is made as follows: Chop as finely as possible one onion, of medium size, and enough parsley to make an equal bulk. Put these into a towel, dip it into cold water, wring it well, so as to remove the rank

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 22. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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iz juice of the onion; then take it out, add the juice ofa lemon, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a little salt, and enough vinegar to make it about as thick as prepared horse radish. Another delicate dressing for raw oysters is a Mayonnaise sauce, mixed with capers and shallots, or small button onions, chopped very fine or bruised in a mortar. — Caterer and Household Magazine. For a dinner there is no more effective way of serving raw oysters than ina boat of ice. Select a large block of ice of crystal clearness. With a hot flat-iron melt a large enough place in the top to hold the oysters, then chip it from the sides until you have shaped it like a boat. Keep it where it may not melt. The oysters should be well drained, seasoned with pepper and salt, and placed in the ice-boat. Just before dinner is served, arrange a bed of fresh green geranium leaves upon a low platter and place the boat upon it, propping it up, if necessary, with a few small lumps of ice hidden among the leaves. Twine delicate green vines prettily over the boat, and arrange a circle of vivid scarlet geraniums upon the platter around the base of the boat, or use halves or quarters of lemons as a garnish.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 23. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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Cold Slaw.— Shred tender white cabbage extremely fine, put it into a bowl, sprinkle with salt, mince half a pod of red pepper very small, and add that and vinegar enough to moisten [or some other dressing]. Set on the table in pickle dishes or in individual deep scallops. — Whitehead.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 23. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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“ There is another method of eating oysters, wherein no knife is required, and not the least skillin opening is needed, the only instrument being a pair of tongs, and the only requisite being a bright fire.” — F. G. Wood. Wash and wipe the oysters (in the shell); lay them in a quick oven, on the top of the stove, or in the coals; when they open they are done. Pile in a dish, or ina pan, and send to table; or take them out and lay them on toast, pouring over all the liquor that accumulates while opening them, with a little butter melted in it, and seasoned to taste. — Goodholme’s

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 30. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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cyclopedia.” Wash the shells in cold water; put the oysters ona wire gridiron, over a clear, hot fire, or in a brisk oven, the round shell downwards. As fast as they open, take them off the fire and serve immediately.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 30. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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a. ln the United States. The largest oysters are not always the best, especially for eating raw and for stewing; those of medium size are generally preferred by epicures. — Goodholme. I have always found the best and finest flavored oysters were those of a middling or even a smaller size to eat out of the shell, either raw or roasted. The clusters are seldom found as good as single oysters, and especially those of unnatural length are usually found poor and watery. —De Voe. For all purposes, except for eating raw, choose large, plump, firm-fleshed, fresh oysters, which remain solid, and do not shrivel or shrink and toughen in the cooking, as the small ones or ‘‘ cullings,” and the salt ones, always do. What are called fresh oysters are not the product of fresh-water, as the oyster cannot develop and live except in salt-water, but they are planted as soon as fullgrown, in beds where they are exposed to the action of a current of fresh-water for two or three days, between

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 32. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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in the Blue Points to 15.5 in the Staten Islands, while the liquids contain from 6.0 per cent of actual solid matter in the Fair Havens to 2.8 per cent. in the Rappahannocks. Taking the total contents, flesh and liquids together, we have in the Blue Points 19.2, and in the Norfolks only 8.6 per cent. of nutritive substances,. the rest being water.: ‘¢ As regards the constituents of the flesh, that of oysters is found to be quite watery, as would be expected, and to contain but little fat. On the average, the flesh (solid) of oysters, like that of fish, contains a little more water and less dry substance than ordinary meats. The oysters seldom have much fat, while some fishes have a great deal. ««Clams are similar in composition to oysters, though rather richer in nutritive materials. Scallops (the abductor muscle, the portion commonly eaten), are still richer, both in total nutrients and in fats. The amount of nutritive matter in lobsters and cray-fish is very small.” Dr. Edward Smith makes a distinction between the flesh of mollusks and that of the crustaceans, such as crabs and lobsters. He.calls the flesh of the former gelatinous, and that of the latter fibrinous. Speaking by the rule of thumb, it has been stated that the oyster, as a muscle-making food, is not much below lean beef, and is equal to eggs. Suchaclaim is, at best, extravagant. However, in such matters we can depend only on the analyst, and in this direction the above work of Prof. Atwater is the most recent, as it is the most valuable contribution to the subject yet made, and is only in keeping with the usual solid work on fish foods which the United States Fish Commission is producing. The careful reader will have noticed that these analyses are eminently favorable to the oysters of our own State [New Jersey]. The haste of the producer to get his crop into market is an American vice. Immature vegetables and unripe fruit, in violation of all hygiene, are put openly on sale. The oyster is forced to market at an average age below three years, though, as a rule, it is not at its best until it is five or six years old.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 46. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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blood the eating of oysters not only prevents fever, but replaces the loss which no other remedy can effect. The great Boerhaave affirms to have known a tall, strong man, who had fallen into a decline, and who, after all other remedies had proved useless, by the use of oysters rapidly recovered, became strong, and died ninety-three years old. ) But to ladies particularly do I recommend oysters as the best of all light meals between breakfast and dinner. At the period of a lady’s married life, when nausea is prevalent, a few fresh oysters, taken raw in their own liquor, with no addition but a little pepper, and a fair slice of French roll or other light bread, stop the feeling of sickness, and keep up the stamina unimpaired. During the time, too, when a young child most requires maternal care and attention, the mother’s diet of oysters will impart strength to the infant, and tend much to alleviate the pains of its first teething. Iam well aware that some persons have a repugnance to the eating of oysters, and that it may be difficult to overcome the dislike. However, as a proof that oysters in general are nice to the taste, let me mention that children under two years of age eat them with great appetite; and it is only after having discontinued eating any for some time that they take a dislike to them. I have often had the opportunity of overcoming this dislike, and the result was always satisfactory. The method is very simple. Take a piece of French roll (or a piece of milk-bread) thinly buttered, and put on it the oyster, deprived of its beard, squeezing a few drops of lemon and peppering it. ‘‘ Well, after all, the taste of the oyster is really fine!” is the usual exclamation, and after that the person has eaten them in their natural state with gusto. When eaten for health, an oyster is best swallowed in its own liquor the moment the shell is opened; or, if too cold for the stomach, a sprinkling of pepper will remedy the evil. Vinegar counteracts the effect of the oyster enriching the blood; so, when the oyster is eaten medicinally, it must be excluded. Dr. Evans says that when too many oysters or other shell-fish have been taken, the unpleasant sensation excited by such excess may be removed by drinking half a pint of hot milk. Persons of delicate constitutions will do well always to take hot milk after oysters.1 3. FROM OTHER AUTHORITIES. Oysters are nutritious and easy of digestion, especially when eaten raw, the process of cooking coagulating and hardening them. The following shows their composition: — COMPOSITION OF OYSTERS,

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 58. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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Oysters differ greatly from lobsters, craw-fish, and crabs, being principally gelatinous and fatty, and when the beard or gill, and the hard muscle by which the fish is attached to the shell, are rejected, they form a digestible and fairly nutritious article of diet, which generally agrees well with weak stomachs, especially when eaten raw,' and they would be still more wholesome if minced or masticated, instead of being swallowed in the usual way. — Dr. H. Dobell. And of oysters it should be remembered that they are to be eatenraw, or, at most, barely warmed through; for complete boiling makes ‘the flesh tough, so that it is prudent, if they come from near river-mouths, to keep them alive in a shallow dish of clean brine for a day or two, feeding them with meal, and changing the water so as to leave them bare twice a day, in imitation of the tide. They become peculiarly plump and wholesome under this management. — Dr. Thomas King Chambers. The oyster can be cooked in manyways, but the pure animal is the best of all, and gulping him up in his own juice is the best way to eat him. The oyster, I maintain, may be eaten raw, day by day, every day of the two hundred and fourteen days that it is in season, and never do hurt. It never produces indigestion — never does the flavor pall. The man who ends the day with an oyster in his mouth rises with a clean tongue in the morning, and a clear head as well. — Bertram. 1 The peculiar digestibility of the oyster is destroyed by cooking, but not by warming to a temperature below 100° F.

From The Oyster Epicure, 1883, page 60. Read from the scan by computer, so a word may be off; the page itself shows the original.

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