Oysters have been cultivated near Dubrovnik, in the seabed of Mali Ston bay, since ancient times and consumed in honour of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, said to have been born from a shell.

The clean sea, full of salt and minerals which mixes with karst sweet water springs, along with the rich seabed, over which dense plankton clusters move, has made this small bay an ideal biotope for oysters.

At a depth of approximately ten metres, clinging to the sharp edges of rocks, the oysters spend their entire short life in the brackish water feeding on plankton.
In early spring days, around the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th), the pulpy body of this noble flat shellfish is at its most ripe. Upon opening the oyster with a sharp knife, the iodine, selenium, zinc and chrome content will simply stimulate all your senses.

The oyster meat is extraordinary nutritious because it is an excellent source of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, E, EP, and 15 g of oyster meat contains the same quantity of vitamin C as 3 g of lemon juice.

For many gastronomists,tasting raw food is a ritual of returning to the early phase of civilization, and oysters are among those rare delicacies which are most delicious raw, with a few drops of lemon juice. There are also oyster soups, oysters fried in breadcrumbs, gratinated oysters, fried or roasted in different ways.

Join me and visit the oyster beds!