Oyster Glossary: Liquor, Merroir, Cup & More

Oyster Glossary: Liquor, Merroir, Cup & More | AhhShucksLiquor, merroir, cup, brine, finish, mignonette, Pearl: the oyster words you'll hear at the raw bar, in plain English.

Adductor muscle

The muscle that holds an oyster's two shells shut. When you shuck, you cut it from the top shell, and then from the bottom so the oyster slides free.

Belon

A name traditionally tied to European flat oysters from the Belon River in Brittany, France. In North America it's often used for European flats grown here, such as in Maine.

Bill (or lip)

The thin front edge of the shell, opposite the hinge.

Bivalve

A shellfish with two hinged shells, such as oysters, clams, mussels and scallops.

Bottom culture

Growing oysters directly on the seafloor, the traditional way.

Brine / briny

The salty, ocean taste of an oyster. Higher-salinity water usually means a brinier oyster.

Cup

The deeper, bowl-shaped bottom shell that holds the oyster and its liquor. A "deep-cupped" oyster has a pronounced bowl.

Diploid

An oyster with the usual two sets of chromosomes, like oysters in the wild. Compare triploid.

Eastern oyster

Crassostrea virginica, the native oyster of North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Many famous East Coast names (Blue Point, Malpeque, Wellfleet) are this one species from different waters.

European flat

Ostrea edulis, a flat, round oyster native to Europe and known for a bold, mineral, sometimes coppery flavor. It's sometimes sold as "Belon."

Farmed oyster

An oyster raised by a grower from seed (spat) to market size. Many of the oysters on North American menus today are farmed.

Filter feeder

An animal that eats by straining tiny food from the water. Oysters filter plankton, which is why their water shapes their flavor.

Finish

The flavor that lingers after you swallow, e.g. sweet, mineral or cucumber-fresh.

Half shell

An oyster served raw on its bottom shell, top shell removed. "On the half shell" = raw, shucked, ready to eat.

Harvest (shipper's) tag

The tag on a bag or box of live shellfish showing where and when they were harvested and who shipped them. Ask a market or raw bar where their oysters come from.

Hinge

The pointed back end where the two shells join, and where the knife goes in when you shuck.

Kumamoto

Crassostrea sikamea, a small Pacific-coast oyster with a deep cup, loved for its sweet, mild flavor. Often a great first oyster.

Liquor

The natural seawater inside the shell. Sip it; don't pour it out.

Mantle

The frilly fringe around the edge of the oyster's body.

Merroir

The idea that an oyster tastes like the water it grows in: its salt, temperature, tides and food. Like terroir for wine, but with mer (French for "sea").

Mignonette

A classic sauce of vinegar (often red wine or Champagne vinegar), finely minced shallot and cracked black pepper. Use a little spoonful.

Off-bottom culture

Growing oysters above the seafloor in bags, cages, trays or floating gear. It can mean cleaner shells and more even shapes.

Olympia oyster

Ostrea lurida, the small oyster native to the Pacific coast of North America, prized for a coppery, mineral flavor.

Oyster fork

The small, narrow fork served at raw bars, used to loosen the oyster from its shell.

Oyster knife

A short, sturdy, dull-edged knife with a pointed tip, made for opening oysters at the hinge. Not a kitchen knife.

Pacific oyster

Crassostrea gigas (also classified as Magallana gigas), originally from Japan and East Asia and now farmed around the world. Often has a fluted, frilly shell and a sweet, creamy, cucumber or melon finish.

Pearl (AhhShucks)

How AhhShucks rates oysters: 1 to 5 gold Pearls, plus your own tasting notes, the month you tried it and where you had it. Your Pearls live in your Pearls list.

Plankton

Tiny plants and animals drifting in the water, and an oyster's main food.

Post-harvest processing (PHP)

Treatments such as high-pressure processing or quick freezing that lower certain bacteria in raw oysters. They make oysters safer but don't remove every risk (see Safety).

R-month rule

Old advice to eat oysters only in months with an "R" (September–April). Read the modern take in Safety.

Raw bar

A restaurant counter or menu section serving raw shellfish, with oysters as the star.

Salinity

How salty the water (and so the oyster) is. It varies by bay, tide, rainfall and season.

Shooter

An oyster served in a small glass with a splash of something, like a cocktail sauce, beer or spirit.

Shuck / shucker

To open an oyster; the person doing the opening. In AhhShucks, every oyster lover is a Shucker.

Spat

Baby oysters that have settled and attached to a surface. Farmers often buy spat ("seed") to grow out.

Spawn

When oysters release eggs and sperm, usually in warm months. Spawning oysters can taste softer and milkier.

Triploid

An oyster bred to have three sets of chromosomes. Triploids are generally sterile, so they put less energy into spawning and often stay firmer through summer.

Tumbled oyster

An oyster grown in gear that the tides or a machine tumble now and then. Tumbling chips the growing edge and encourages a deeper cup.

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