Ostrica

It is very curious that this Italian frutto di mare, so loved by the Romans that they developed the first oyster farms, is now considered to be the French fruit de mer par excellence. In fact it was only after the French (and British) exhausted their own natural fishing grounds that they imported the farming know-how from Italy and made it such a primary industry that it is now France that dictates the rules of hygiene and other regulations for growing oysters.

In Italy the so-called belon or round oyster is still the best loved and is still farmed in the Adriatic Sea around Puglia, especially the town of Taranto. Of the few varieties that exist, Italians prefer the flat Ostrica piatta and the round belon which is still eaten raw dressed with just a few drops of lemon juice.