The oyster is a unique and delicious product whose world is still little known today, especially in our country, whose market is gradually developing only in the last decade. Suffice it to say that Italy holds only 2% of the world production, against the 85% of China, a market that is however exclusively intended for their internal consumption.
The Italian oyster market is constantly growing, mainly due to the growing interest of consumers in quality seafood products from sustainable production. Italian oysters are often served in the best restaurants and delicatessens of the country, where they are appreciated for their uniqueness and delicacy.
Furthermore, Italian oysters are also highly sought after on foreign markets, where they are considered a luxury and high-quality product.
When talking about oysters, we must keep in mind several factors that influence their growth and development, which is why the term Merroir is used, given by the union of Terroir (from the French “territory”, the same term used when talking about wine) and Mere (sea) which is nothing other than the representation of how the union between land, water and air can give a different and unique final result, even if the product is raised in the same seas.
Another element to take into strong consideration is also the breeding method, from the classic traditional basket, used mainly in those territories on the Atlantic Ocean that exploit the presence of tides, allowing the oyster to remain out of the water and immersed in alternating ways, to the rope, a method used a lot in France and in Italy in the Sacca di Scardovari, where the oysters are cemented two by two on a rope that will be immersed in water and pulled out reproducing the game of the tides, up to the Australian baskets, which are nothing other than netted baskets equipped with a float that reproduce the wave motion, used in Sardinia and in the Valli di Comacchio in Romagna and which allow the oyster to greatly develop the adductor muscle, the part that mainly gives the crunchiness to this refined mollusc.
Just like in wine, where we find many analogies with oysters, the density of the oysters present in the baskets will allow for different results, so in the case of many pieces per basket we will have an entry level product, the so-called Fine oysters, with a percentage of meat from 6.5% to 10.5%, while reducing the pieces for each basket we will obtain a Special oyster, with a full fruit and a percentage of meat over 12%, giving life to an exclusive and characteristic product of the Italian oyster market.
