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The somewhat overused words written by William Shakespeare appeared for the first time in his play The Merry Wives of Windsor in 17th century. A free reading of the sentence is that all the opportunities and pleasures in the world are open to you if you are rich. Oysters have not however always been a luxurious delicacy, quite the contrary.
 In fact, archaeologists claim that oysters used to be common food ingredient in pre-technological societies because oysters were easy to catch and bountiful in supply. The world’s first oyster bar can actually be traced back to Africa; findings of an international research team led by Dr. Richard T. Buffler suggest that early humans were adapted to coastal marine environments and ate seafood, including clams, crabs, scallops and oysters, as early as 125,000 years ago. The industrialisation and population growth in the 17th century led to the rapid depletion of oyster beds resulting in their current stage as a delicacy.
 Oysters have a long and respectful history in Britain; from AD 766 Romans imported them from England, placed them in salt water pools, and fattened them up by feeding them wine and pastries. Especially the Roman Emperor Vitellus was famed for eating oysters; he preferred oysters to grapes and declared oysters were the only good thing in Britain.
Native or rock oysters?
At The Mercer we serve The Colchester wild
natives and the Cumbrae Scottish rock
oysters. Natives are harder to grow and more susceptible to disease. A native has a much stronger, more robust flavor, so it’ll stand up to stronger wines and beers. Wild natives are now in season. With rock oysters, the mineral flavors
are more subtle. The rich waters of Colchester are especially suitable for oysters; it is still today the leading town of British oysters. Wright Brothers supplies oysters to London’s top restaurants, such as The Mercer. Co-owner of Wright Brothers Robin Wright says: “I'm absolutely not into formal entertaining these days (--) I believe the ingredients should speak for themselves.”
How to accompany oysters?
A true connoisseur might eat the oyster with nothing on it but for the less adventurous, some kind of a sauce is recommended. In Ancient times the Greeks enjoyed their oysters hot simmered in honey. It is a unique sensation that only the oyster is able to provide, capturing the very essence of the sea. Today, the most commons trimmings are Tabasco sauce, shallot vinegar or a few lemon drops.
As a drink we recommend the glass of Ina Fino sherry or a glass of Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut to break down the saltiness of oysters.
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The Mercer
3434 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY
London ::Tel 0207 628 0001::
info@themercer.co.uk
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