The Mali Ston Oyster: A Croatian Prize of the Adriatic

“An oyster leads a dreadful but exciting life. Indeed, his chance to live at all is slim, and if he should survive the arrows of his own outrageous fortune and in the two weeks of his carefree youth fine a clean smooth place to fox on, the years afterwards are full of stress, passion and danger.”
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

Have you heard of the famed Mali Ston Oyster? Even if you're a dedicated oyster lover in the U.S., you probably have not heard of these unique oysters. I own numerous books about oysters and they all fail to mention the Mali Ston oyster. When these books discuss European oysters, the Belon, from France, gets most of the attention. In addition, as you probably can't find Mali Ston oysters in the U.S., then it remains largely hidden to most Americans. 

Until I traveled to Croatia in 2019, I was unaware of Mali Ston oysters as well. However, once I tasted them, once those oysters thrilled my palate, I made an effort to learn much more about these wondrous bivalves. They were plump and meaty, with a more unique taste and a pleasant brininess. When I traveled back to Croatia this past May, I looked forward to enjoying more Mali Ston oysters and I got an opportunity while I was in Zagreb, dining at Bota Šare. The Šare family has been involved in oyster farming for generations, and is currently one of a relatively small number of legal oyster farmers. 

All of the photos in this article are from my dinner at Bota Šare, which included raw oysters, grilled oysters, and oyster tempura. We enjoyed other seafood dishes from this restaurant as well, including some tasty risotto, but I'm concentrating here on oysters. 

"The flavor of an oyster depends upon several things. First, if it is fresh and sweet and healthy it will taste good, quite simply . . . good, that is, if the taster likes oyster."
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

The Mali Ston oyster is a European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) which grows in the Mali Ston Bay in the Adriatic Sea. This is the same oyster species as the famed French Belon oysters. The bay is enclosed by the Pelješac peninsula and the Dalmatian mainland, and received its name from Mali Ston, a small village on the peninsula. Although the bay is only about 17 miles long, it possesses numerous coves, islets and ridges, which mean the total coastline is actually about 63 miles. Besides oyster farming, the bay also permits mussel farming.

“Men have enjoyed eating oysters since they were not much more than monkeys, according to the kitchen middens they have left behind them.”
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

Oysters have been consumed since prehistory, although oyster farming, rather than wild harvest, likely extends back to the ancient Romans. To the Romans, oysters possessed various health benefits and were prescribed for numerous ailments. In addition, they were also considered a potent aphrodisiac. Romans sometimes consumed massive quantities of oysters and it's alleged that Emperor Aulus Vitellius once consumed 1,200 oysters at one occasion. And it was Roman emperors who first established oyster farms off the Dalmatian coast. 

During the time of the Republic of Ragusa (1358-1808), which was centered on the city of Dubrovnik, oyster farming was well documented. These farms were often financed by nobles who then allegedly were paid in oysters rather than cash. The Mali Ston oysters were frequently on the tables of the nobility, including when they entertained foreign dignitaries, helping to spread the fame of these special oysters. For example, the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef so much enjoyed these oysters that he had them shipped to Vienna, on a monthly basis.

The Bunkie Record (LA), May 2, 1974, noted that “Near Mali Ston in the Bistrina Bay, the best Adriatic oysters have been cultivated by the suspension method for centuries.” That article also mentioned how, in the 1830s, many Croatians, who were living in Yugoslavia at the time, emigrated to Louisiana and in the 1850s, they started cultivating oysters there, helping to establish an oyster farming industry. Today, Louisiana produces about 40% of the oysters in the U.S. 

"First, several millennia ago, men cracked the shells and sucked out the tender gray bodies with their attendant juices and their inevitable sharp splinters. Then, when knives came, they pried open the two shells and cupped the lower one in their hands, careful not to spill its colorless elixir."
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

During the 20th century, both World War I and II caused extensive damage to the Mali Ston oyster farms, leading to extensive and intensive rebuilding. During the 1980s, oyster farming was modernized, introducing new farming methods and techniques, giving a huge boost to the industry. By 1990, about 2 million oysters were being harvested each year from the Mali Ston Bay. However, the Homeland War (1991-1995), led to the destruction, once again, of many oyster farms. Oyster farming rebounded after the war, and it's now well regulated.

Back in 1983, the Mali Ston Bay was declared a protected area, which was changed in 1998 to a strict reserve and then in 2002, it became a protected special marine reserve. Finally, in 2020, after several years of work, Mali Ston oysters received a Protection Designation of Origin from the European Union, and this was the first such designation for a farmed European flat oyster. Croatia now has about 30 agricultural and good products with this designation. 

Currently, about 90% of the oysters farmed in Croatia are Mali Ston oysters, reaching an annual production of about two million. The vast majority of these oysters are consumed within Croatia, so exports are very low. 

“I recall now that Dr. Ernesto Illy, the coffee king, once told me over dinner in Trieste, his base of operations, that the fish and shellfish on the Croatian side of the Adriatic Sea, where the bottom is mainly rocky, were better than those on the Italian side, where it tends to be muddier.”

--New York Times, September 15, 2004

What makes the Mali Ston Bay such a unique place? First, it's the habitat for almost 90 species of shellfish, although only oysters and mussels are currently farmed there. Second, the lengthy bay is fairly well sheltered from the ocean, including its rougher seas, and also means that there's a greater mainland influence than the ocean. Third, the Neretva River, which flows into the sea, carries minerals and nutrients into the the bay, as well as helps to regular the temperature and currents. Fourth, the Mali Ston seabed is rich in phytoplankton, which oysters eat, feeding by filtering water and extracting the phytoplankton.

Oyster farming remains relatively simple, and everything is still done by hand, and it's said that once the oysters are harvested, they will be touched 5-7 times before reaching a plate. Harvesting is only conducted in months when the oysters aren't reproducing, and only oysters that are 3 years old or older are taken. 

 

"A little later, in the times of Voltaire and Pope and Swift, oysters were considered less as a food than as an apéritif, so that it was quite usual to serve ten or twelve dozen to each guest as a “starter” for a banquet….One man, old Marshal Turgot, who knew almost too much about famines, was able in fatter days to eat a hundred oysters before breakfast just to whet his appetite."
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

According to Mali Ston Oyster, "In its prime, Mali Ston oyster has a greasy texture, glossy grey-white-yellowish, firm, domed and swollen fatty tissue or “meat”. It is soft and succulent to bite, with balanced sweet and salty taste and characteristic pleasant sea-mineral flavor. The large amount of glycogen is responsible for the greasy texture of the meat which melts in the mouth, producing a distinct, sweet and full flavor."

In addition, the Mali Ston oyster is rich in umami, the fifth taste which roughly translates as "savoriness" or "meatiness." As such, oysters can pair well with other foods that possess umami, especially those which derive their umami from other sources. Different sources of umami can create a synergistic effect, enhancing the overall umami taste. This will also affect possible drink pairings, as I'll discuss soon. 

"Oysters are healthful and nourishing, full of all the chemical elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and on and on, which occur regularly in your own body and are necessary to it. They keep you fit, do oysters, with vitamins and such, for energy and what is lightly called “fuel value.”
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

Mali Ston oysters, as most oysters, are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, D, E, and vitamin C, which is rare to find in other animals. The minerals include iodine, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, selenium, zinc and chromium. Zinc plays an important role in human reproductive stystems, which may be one reason oysters have been considered aphrodisiacs. Raw oysters are also rich in rare amino acids (D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate), which increase testosterone levels, another boost to their alleged aphrodisiacal effects. In addition, oysters are a source of essential amino acids such as lysine, histidine and tyrosine. A dozen oysters can amount to fewer than 100 calories but are worth as much in protein as a 4-ounce steak and contain as much calcium as a glass of milk. 

So, oysters are not only delicious but they are extremely nutritious as well, providing assistance to many elements of the human body. You can feel good about devouring a dozen oysters before dinner, or for lunch, or even for breakfast. 

"There are, oddly enough, almost as many ways to eat such a simple dish as there are men to eat it."
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

Oysters are versatile and can be eaten in so many different ways. Sure, you can eat them simply raw, on the half shell, with a dash of lemon juice, a mignonette sauce, or a touch of horseradish sauce. They also can be prepared in a myriad of other ways: fried, baked, grilled, in soups and chowders, in pasta or risotto dishes, in stuffing and sandwiches, and much more. The tempura oysters at Bota Šare were excellent, with a light, crispy batter. 

What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy oysters?

“There are three kinds of oyster-eaters: those loose-minded sports who will eat anything, hot, cold, thin, thick, dead or alive, as long as it is oyster; those who will eat them raw and only raw; and those who with equal severity will eat them cooked and no way other.”
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

In March, the oysters are supposed to be at their most delicious, and are showcased during the Feast of Saint Joseph, on March 19. This is an old tradition, which apparently disappeared for a time, but was resurrected. Now, the oyster festival at this time is famed, bringing many people to the region of Ston to partake of the delectable Mali Ston oysters.

“Oysters, being almost universal, can be and have been eaten with perhaps a wider variety of beverages than almost any other dish I can think of . . . and less disastrously. They lend themselves to the whims of every cool and temperate climate, so that one man can drink wine with them, another beer, and another fermented buttermilk, and no man will be wrong.”
--Consider the Oyster (1941) by M.F.K. Fisher

What wine should you pair with Mali Ston oysters? Frankly, there are many wines, and other beverages, which will work well and please many palates. In Croatia, one of the most popular pairings is Pošip, which is fresh, has good acidity, and a nice minerality. On multiple occasions, including at Bota Šare, I've enjoyed Pošip with these oysters and loved the pairing. 

Other Croatian wines pairing choices would include Sparkling Wines, especially the drier versions, and white wines made from grapes such as Grasevina, Malvazija, and Debit. Although these wines come in a variety of styles, seek out the fresher versions, especially those with more minerality. I recommend experimenting with wine pairings, finding out which pairings you most prefer as tastes do vary.

“The oyster is older than us. Older than grass. It was here at the start of civilization, at the start of the world.”
--Oyster: A World History (2010) by Drew Smith 

Have you ever tasted Mali Ston oysters? If so, what were your thoughts?