History of Oysters

The consumption of oysters as a delicacy is linked to the great civilizations of the world extending through time and geography.

historia 1Ancient Rome fused the splendor of its arts with the magnanimity of its meals and so the gods did not just taste ambrosia but also recurred to oysters as a divine food offered by the sea.  Oysters were considered a natural provider of organic well-being and sexual energy.  By 25 A.C., the book “De re coquinaria libri decem”, written by Marco Gavio Apicio, conferred upon oysters a prime site on the table. Thus, oysters were in high demand for  the lusty banquets of Ancient Rome, where a good orgy would not be considered complete without them.

The Greeks swallowed powdered oyster shell when their sexual prowess diminished, and in Athens oysters influenced political life, because Athenians voted by writing inside an oyster shell the name of those they wanted out of government, condemning them to ostracism (exile) for  100 years!

The Chinese dynasties knew of the sweetening properties of oysters and used them as medicine and food.

American Indians also consumed cooked oysters before the arrival of the Europeans.

historia 2In certain areas of the Baja California Peninsula, such as the Holy Spirit and the Partida islands, archeological evidence may be found of the use of oyster shells by the aboriginal ethnic groups of the Peninsula before the Spanish conquest. The so-called “conchales” (shellers) were places where religious ceremonies took place; thus, great amounts of shells cover the floors as an eternal sign of the first inhabitants of these lands: historical legacy, tradition and magic.

During the French Renaissance oysters were used as missiles by the Huguenots during the siege of La Rochelle .

In the XVII Century oyster culture was started in Japan . And with the travels of Marco Polo oyster culture also traveled to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Pacific, finally reaching also our coast of the Baja Peninsula.

Today, our delicious oysters reach your palate thanks to the creation and operation of Sol Azul.