In one of my posts back in October of 2013, I wrote about a time that Michael and I visited a place made famous in Austin for its amazing selection of oysters. We went for my birthday, and were blown away with the delicious meal we had. I can still, TO THIS DAY, remember the velvety, creamy and mouth-wateringly delicious cauliflower soup, and the sweet, succulent and briny oysters.
In an excerpt from this article, I wrote, "While we were taking in the atmosphere, we decided to start perusing the simple menu. Michael and I are big oyster fans, and when we saw the extensive oyster selection, we were ultra excited. However, we had no idea what the difference between oysters with the names Conway Cup and Firelake, so we needed help. Bad."
This very same scenario played out several more times in our eating adventures across the country, from Texas to California and here in Baltimore. The two of us, and even our 8 year old LOVE oysters, but we're still pretty ignorant to all of the MANY varieties, and origins of oysters, and how the effect the taste and experience you'll have with them.
That's where the new app, Oystour, comes in. Basically, Oystour is THE premier oyster guide and appreciation app that will help you learn and know more about oysters.
"Whether you're new to trying these wonderful bivalves or are an oyster connoisseur already, we're here to enhance your eating adventure to slurp well and slurp responsibly!" Fantastic.
It's super easy to use, and it is actually quite visually stunning. You can search the many varieties of oysters by clicking the big search button, or you can brows by region.
Using the search feature, I was able to go back and check out those two oysters I mentioned in my excerpt, Conway Cup and Firelake, and I learned a lot! I wish Oystour were around back then, because man oh man, that would have been SUPER useful.
In doing my search, and just playing around on the app, I was able to learn about other kids of oysters I've never heard of.
I love how each oyster has such a beautifully detailed description, so much so that I feel like I'm able to really and truly get a sense of the texture and flavor profile of these delicious jewels of the sea, whether delicate or robust, sweet or briny.
I also learned a lot about how how oysters are a wonderful part of the world, aside from being an aphrodisiac. "From their environmental benefits, to extremely sustainable farming methods, there are dozens and dozens of reasons to eat more oysters." And here I am thinking they're just delicious. It's actually a great thing that we're doing by eating them!
So next time you're out wishing you knew WHICH oysters to get, just whip out your phone because with Oystour, all of your oyster-related questions have answers, just a click away. I can't wait to hit up Ryleighs Oysters here in Federal Hill, since my oyster knowldege will be through the roof with this handy tool in my pocket. The oyster world is, essentially, your oyster... yeah, I went there. Click for the Apple App store, and for the Google Play store!