The 100 Mile Diet – surely everyone has heard of this intriguing food odyssey? While creating the 100 Mile Diet, James MacKinnon realized local foods have amazing pasts. The Tyee has launced a new series called Eat Your History , guest edited by J.B. MacKinnon and written by Jeff Nield and Joanne Will. What’s it about? Food. Place. History. A stimulated mind and happy taste buds.

The first serving of this new series is called “An Oyster to Fight For”.

Although we traditionally refer to oysters grown along our Vancouver Island coastline as local, they are actually introduced species. The exception is the Olympia oyster, Ostreola conchapila which is actually the only true native to British Columbia. It is commonly referred to as the Oly though it is not so common to actually track them down. Oly’s natural sensitivity to temperature extremes + a relatively low reproductive rate, overharvesting, pollution and habitat loss have made them a rare commodity in BC waters. So rare in fact that Slow Food USA added the Oly to its Ark of Taste, a catolog of  “delicous foods in danger of extinction.” Meanwhile there are efforts to restore habitat and protect this iconic native species.

And the taste… What makes the Oly so special? In his book Consider the Oyster, chef and champion shucker Patrick McMurray writes that “a classic Oly tastes of sea salt to start, sweet cream, seaweed, earth, fresh-cut grass — a taste unique among oysters. Its dry metallic finish will last up to 15 minutes, if you let it.”

Source: An Oyster to Fight For by Jeff Nield, The Tyee.ca