Taste & Science
Copper Blood: The Metallic Finish of European Flat Oysters
The coppery, almost medicinal finish of an Ostrea edulis is not imagination. It has a specific biochemical source that distinguishes this species from every other oyster at the molecular level.
Taste & Science
The Sugar Behind the Creaminess
The r-month rule is folklore. The biochemistry underneath it is precise. Glycogen content swings more than tenfold across a year — and that glycogen is exactly what you taste as sweetness and body.
Taste & Science
A More Acidic Ocean, a Different Oyster
Ocean acidification is already affecting oyster hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. The consequences for shell formation are known. What it does to flavor — how the oyster you eat in 2035 may differ biochemically — is only beginning to be understood.