The oysters of Colchester

It’s not much of a gastronomic centre now, but Colchester — or Camulodunum, as it was known in AD 47 (after Camulos, the Celtic name for their god of war), was the capital of Roman Britain — and of oyster cultivation. The Italians have been knocking British food since then: the Roman historian Pliny commented that the only good thing about Britain was its oysters. The Romans were pretty knowledgeable about such delicacies and taught us a thing or two about the eating qualities of shellfish, as opposed to seeing it as a substitute for meat and fish when they were in short supply.