Oyster

Oyster is the second collection from prize-winning Edinburgh poet Michael Pedersen. From Grez-sur-Loing and festive nights to sizzling summers stretched out in the Meadows and Portobello, Michael Pedersen’s unique brand of poetry captures a debauchery and a disputation of characters, narrated with an intense honesty and a love of language that is playful, powerful and penetrative; he vividly illuminates scenes with an energy that is both witty, humourous but also deeply intelligent. Oyster is iced, spiced, baked and beaming for your pleasure. Oyster features bespoke illustrations from Frightened Rabbit lead singer and songwriter Scott Hutchison.

Since the dawn of time oysters have inhabited the earth. Naturally high in essential vitamins and minerals, they are one of the oldest known and most widely enjoyed foods consumed by humans. Varying in size from as small as a grape to as large as a dinner plate, the oyster has driven countries towards discovery and exploration. It has been the food of the rich and the sustenance of the poor. Renowned for its supposed aphrodisiac quality, it has inspired writers, poets, painters and lovers. Throughout history, it has also contributed to the spread of diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Follow the story from the prehistoric up to the present day, discovering how the oyster became the food of both paupers and kings, contributed to the building of empires and the demise of ecosystems, and why it may be the creature to help save the world’s dying coastal shorelines and reefs.

Since the dawn of time oysters have inhabited the earth. Naturally high in essential vitamins and minerals, they are one of the oldest known and most widely enjoyed foods consumed by humans. Varying in size from as small as a grape to as large as a dinner plate, the oyster has driven countries towards discovery and exploration. It has been the food of the rich and the sustenance of the poor. Renowned for its supposed aphrodisiac quality, it has inspired writers, poets, painters and lovers. Throughout history, it has also contributed to the spread of diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Follow the story from the prehistoric up to the present day, discovering how the oyster became the food of both paupers and kings, contributed to the building of empires and the demise of ecosystems, and why it may be the creature to help save the world’s dying coastal shorelines and reefs.

Drew Smith’s Oyster: A Gastronomic History offers readers a global view of the oyster, tracing its role in cooking, art, literature and politics from the dawn up time to the present day. Oysters have inspired chefs, painters and writers alike, have sustained communities financially and ecologically, and have loomed large in legend and history. Using the oyster as the central theme, Smith has organised the book around time periods and geographical locations, looking at the oyster’s influence through colourful anecdotes, eye-opening scientific facts and a wide array of visuals. The book also includes fifty recipes--traditional country dishes and contemporary examples from some of the best restaurants in the world. Renowned French chef Raymond Blanc calls Oyster “a brilliant crusade for the oyster that shows how food has shaped our history, art, literature, law-making, culture, and of course love-making and cuisine.”

Drew Smith’s Oyster: A Gastronomic History offers readers a global view of the oyster, tracing its role in cooking, art, literature and politics from the dawn up time to the present day. Oysters have inspired chefs, painters and writers alike, have sustained communities financially and ecologically, and have loomed large in legend and history. Using the oyster as the central theme, Smith has organised the book around time periods and geographical locations, looking at the oyster’s influence through colourful anecdotes, eye-opening scientific facts and a wide array of visuals. The book also includes fifty recipes--traditional country dishes and contemporary examples from some of the best restaurants in the world. Renowned French chef Raymond Blanc calls Oyster “a brilliant crusade for the oyster that shows how food has shaped our history, art, literature, law-making, culture, and of course love-making and cuisine.”