Street View Street Food
Galway Oysters
History
The oyster aquaculture industry in Ireland is small, but
growing. There are approximately 130 companies all
around the coasts that produce oysters and I managed to
visit three distinctively different operations in the West.
The majority of Ireland’s oysters are exported to France,
where they are both consumed and also “finished” in
French claires (fattening ponds). In fact, I was informed by
those familiar with the business that much of the world-
renowned Gillardeau oysters from France are actually
grown out in Ireland.
Culture
It was once assumed that oysters were only safe to
eat in months with the letter ‘r’ in their English and
French names. This myth is based in truth, in that in
the Northern Hemisphere, oysters are much more
likely to spoil in the warmer months of May, June, July,
and August. In recent years, pathogens such as Vibrio
parahaemolyticus have caused outbreaks in several
harvesting areas of the eastern United States during the
summer months, lending further credence to this belief.
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